A Stroll Through My Dreams
by Campcrystallake11
Summary: The world as they knew it nearly ended, until Shinji had a change of heart at the last moment and aborted Instrumentality, giving the human race a second chance. Months later, Shinji & Asuka are trying to live semi-normal lives post Third-Impact, but two major obstacles still stand in their way... Themselves.
1. Chapter 1

**-This story will mostly be based off of the original Anime version of the story, as that's what I'm most familiar with. It takes place post Third-Impact because I couldn't resist taking advantage of the ambiguous nature of said event. Anything you read in the following chapters that doesn't quite match up with canon is just me putting my spin on my own personal vision of Instrumentally and it's aftermath. Hope you enjoy!**

Chapter 1

Even from a young age, Shinji Ikari realized his life wasn't exactly what you'd call normal… Having been born post Second Impact was hard enough… His parent's roles on the front-lines of a war aimed at preventing a Third Impact, doomed any shred of hope Shinji had of living long enough to experience this seemingly mythical concept of a normal life. His acceptance of that fact only compounded the reality that was Shinji's life. A life from which he expected nothing good to ever come of, and so he spent most of that life waiting for the worst to happen. Normalcy?... No, being normal was not a luxury Shinji would ever be able to afford, and yet still, the level of bizarre he'd been forced to endure was just plain ridiculous. Sometimes, he liked to run through a few of those instances in his head, just for laughs.

Let's start off with his job that involved fighting otherworldly monsters while locked inside a giant bio-engineered robot… Sure whatever, this was the 21st century. Giant robot and monster movies had been popular even way back when his parents were still in diapers, especially in Japan. Voltron was destined to battle Godzilla over the ruins of what used to be Tokyo one day. It was more a question of 'when' than 'if'. Now, discovering that his mother's soul was trapped inside that behemoth he'd been piloting... That well… Sort of made sense after he analyzed the circumstances behind his mother's sudden death, and combined that knowledge with his seemingly unnatural ability to sync with Unit 01. Still a giant mind fuck, but at least he could wrap his head around that now. His father tossing him aside, ignoring his son's very existence, and Gendo's subsequent treatment of everyone that ever worked under him as if they were as disposable as toilet tissue… Yeah, Shinji could see that. Daddy dearest was a busy man, serving as the head of the most powerful organization in the world, seeing as the fate of said planet lay squarely in the hands of NERV's giant mechanized weapons. Finding out that his father had made certain that his son's life was hellish as possible in hopes that his little boy would grow to hate the world enough that he'd turn every person on the planet into soup? Just so the selfish bastard could live it up in his fantasy happy world with Shinji's Mother as, all the while, fairy's floated around their heads as Bigfoot strummed on his banjo while the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man danced a jig with Fat Elvis… If anyone else but his father had tried that bullshit, it might've surprised Shinji. Temporally becoming a God?… Well, how does one even possibly come to grips with something like that?

Yet, that's exactly the position Shinji Ikari had found himself in. He was given the power to decide the fate of everyone on planet Earth and promptly decided they could all die and burn in hell. Then he changed his mind, giving the human race a second chance, if for any reason just to give his father and the old goat-farts at SEELE a figurative double bird as Instrumentality was reversed. It was shocking really, to see how fast the human race had gotten back on its feet. A part of Shinji had always believed that, if the world ever did end like it did in one of those apocalyptic movies, he'd have given the human race about a week before they were eating each other. Not because they were Zombies either. Rampant cannibalism and the complete collapse of civilization never occurred thankfully. It helped that the world's infrastructure was still largely intact, and those in charge actually rallied behind the greater good for a change, rather than padding their pockets or cementing personal power. Now, nearly two years later, Tokyo 3 stood as the crown jewel of the Post-Third Impact world.

The Angel War was finally over, and appearing more and more distant in humanity's rear-view mirror. NERV still very much existed much to the chagrin of every major country without a strong NERV presence within its borders. China, in particular, called the loudest for NERV to be disbanded or at least majorly downsized now that the threat that the Angles posed was now gone. Neither was going to happen however. Even if the immediate threat of the Angels had been neutralized for the time being, there was still no telling when some other all-powerful being, whether it be God, Adam, Lilith, or Godzilla monster of the month might wake up cranky one morning and decide that the human race needed a good ass-whopping. NERV was a necessary evil, and now with 99% less actual evil seeing as much of the corruption that plagued Gendo Ikari and SEELE's regime had been weeded out. The last thing Earth needed was a Fourth Impact. As for Shinji, he was still very much reluctantly tied to NERV. The organization was squat without their giant toys after all, and Shinji's mother would still only accept her baby boy as the pilot of Unit 01. Thankfully, Shinji didn't really mind being part of NERV these days, not as much as in the past anyway. It sounded outright insane to him to even think this, but NERV was actually starting to feel like the one place on Earth he may sort of belong. Now that the Angels were gone and his duties were relegated to sync tests and training, life at the Geo-Front wasn't half bad… Didn't hurt either, that his bastard of a father was no longer in charge, nor did it hurt that his replacement wasn't trying to use him as kindling for Instrumentality.

That didn't mean everything was going swimmingly for Shinji either… He still lived with Misato, and if he were to answer honestly, there really wasn't anyone else's roof that he'd rather be living under. She adored him and Shinji couldn't have held more respect for her. She still wasn't the ideal guardian, likely never would be. Misato made up this parenting thing as she went, and luckily for her, the two children under her care weren't your typical teenagers. They'd been forced to grow up way too fast, and thus were both remarkably self-sufficient for their ages. What they still needed help with though, Misato did her best to be there for them when the need arose. She had certainly put more effort and interest into Shinji's upbringing than anyone else with the audacity to call themselves his guardian ever had, and she meant the world to him because of that.

As for Shinji's other roommate, well… She was another story entirely. Complicated wasn't a strong enough term to describe their relationship. Webster would likely have to come up with a new word for it. One day they'd get along fine, what passed for fine with them anyway, and the next Asoka was trying to devour his soul because she didn't like the way his eyebrows were trimmed. Of course Shinji was exaggerating, but this love/hate relationship he shared with his fellow pilot was liable to drive him insane where Angels, loneliness, and his bastard of a father had failed.

Okay, so calling their relationship love/hate was an exaggeration in itself. It was more like a barely tolerate/white hot hate relationship. For the life of him, Shinji couldn't understand where all the venom the German girl spewed his way came from. He understood on certain levels, he wasn't as stupid as his grades and that same certain German red-head would lead you to believe. There was a difference between being stupid and just plain not caring. He knew how important Eva was to Asoka, and he knew how jealous she could get towards anyone who threatened her imaginary status as NERV's top pilot. He wasn't trying to be mean or bitter when he thought that way either, but imaginary was exactly what Asuka's self-appointed title was. She was the most highly trained of the pilots, and there was no arguing with that. You could train a horse to run the Kentucky Derby it's entire life, but that horse could still very well finish the race dead last when the big day came. The stats don't lie. Shinji had killed more angels than she had, and by the end of the war, his sync rate was higher. In the end, it was feeble little Shinji Ikari who held the fate of the world in his hands, and ultimately gave mankind a second chance at life… Which may not have even been necessary if he hadn't decided to figuratively murder everyone in the first place… Of course, none of these details impressed Asuka, not that Shinji could really fault her for that. He never considered much of anything he'd done throughout his involvement with NERV or Eva remarkable. In fact, he was quite ashamed of his involvement in this entire war. Within the walls of NERV he was considered a hero, and since the return from Instrumentality, he had essentially become the poster child for everything right within NERV. Shinji wasn't sure if the irony of this made him want to laugh or vomit. He was no hero… Had they forgotten that he just sat around waiting to die as the JSDF descended upon the Geo-Front like a Mongol Horde with high-powered assault weapons, curled up in a near catatonic state a midst the screams and spilling blood of the same people who now called him a hero? Not to mention that he initiated Third Impact, and in doing so, basically told everyone else in the world to go fuck themselves. True that he did change his mind and by doing so opened the door for everyone to return from the LCL hootenanny, but that was beside the point. Doing the right thing at the very end of the story didn't wash away the litany of mistakes and sins he had committed on the road to Instrumentality, literally down to the last second.

So, Shinji turned the other cheek at Asuka's sarcastic and scathing remarks, denouncing the Third Child's supposed triumphs, largely because Shinji agreed with her for the most part. Still, it was quite aggravating to have someone belittle your every accomplishment, like somehow those deeds would have meant more if Asuka had accomplished them herself rather than he. This made no sense to Shinji, not that Asuka's attitude ever really did. He would never say this to Asuka's face, but he decided it was because of this part of her personality that Shinji had eventually proved to be the better pilot. As strange as this sounded to him, Asuka just never seemed to understand that they held the fate of the entire world in their hands, or maybe she just didn't care. When she should've been happy that another Angel was dead and she was still around to live for another day, unless she herself was the one plunging her progressive knife into the Angel's core every single battle, she was near impossible to work with. Shinji was fighting to protect himself and the people he cared about, while Asuka seemed to be fighting to prove to everyone how great she was.

What Shinji failed to understand was that Asuka's entire sense of self-worth was one hundred percent tied to her Eva. That bio-engineered monstrosity that she'd devoted her entire life to piloting and mastering. To be fair, both youths were guilty of never really making an honest attempt to understand one another. Who had time when giant squid monsters were trying to eat your face on a daily basis? If they had bothered to get to know each other, perhaps they'd actually have learned how to get along by now. And perhaps Shinji wouldn't be having this damn infernal dream he'd been having every other night for weeks now.

Shinji is spending what passes for a normal day inside the Katsuragi household, which basically means that he was cooking dinner and cleaning up after his two roommates. Yes, he was doing both at the same time. It was his dream damn it. He could have four arms and fart fucking fire if he damn well pleased. Anyway, seconds into the dream, Asuka comes storming into the apartment looking as pissed off as a badger with a mousetrap dangling from one of its testicles. She hurls her bookcase up against the wall before she starts shouting obscenities in German as she paces up and down the halls, that for some reason, go left and right as well as up and down in this dream. Warily, Shinji voiced his concern.

"Welcome home Asuka… Is everything okay?"

"No, everything is not okay idiot! Nothing is ever okay!"

"Um, sorry…" Shinji backs up a step, as for some reason she was now standing in front of him. "Any particular reason you're upset?"

"Well, I was expelled from school today for starters!"

"Expelled?! But, how did you manage that?"

"Why don't you ask your asshole friend Toji?!" Asuka sneered, as she encroached on Shinji's personal space until they were nose to nose. "That perv decided to grope me during lunch, so I broke every bone in that lecherous monkey's hand! I was simply defending myself, but they took his side and kicked me out of school! Do you have any idea how humiliating that was?!"

"No, but I'm sure…"

"Shut up!" Asuka cut him off by giving his ear a yank. "Not only was I expelled, but I ripped my favorite dress on the walk home, my sync rate is still crap, gnomes stole my panties, and every bit of it is entirely your fault!"

"How is any of that my…" Shinji was silenced as Asuka's bookcase struck him in the face, knocking him down on his butt. Shinji could've sworn he saw Asuka discard that thing earlier.

"I said shut up! You have no right to talk to me! It's entirely your fault, because everything is always your fault! My life was perfect before you walked into it and sent everything to hell!" Shinji crawled backwards on his hands, trying to escape Asuka as she slowly stalked him throughout that impossibly large kitchen. "How can someone as worthless as you… A spineless, selfish little wimp, destroy so many people's lives?! My life! I can't even stand the site of you! No one can! Your own father thought you were worthless and got rid of you! Those two idiots you call friends feel sorry for you and nothing more, and that doll Rei? You think she really cares about you? No, that cheap copy of your mother saw in you the only person she'd ever met that was more pathetic and inept at life than she was! She latched onto you to feel better about herself!"

"Asuka calm down… You're not telling me anything I don't already know…" Shinji received another smack across the face, this time with the palm of her hand. Finally, Shinji found a wall and tried his damnedest to find a crack he could crawl into but found none. It was odd… Asuka seemed to grow larger with each insult… More menacing, like a werewolf at the height of blood lust.

"What are you staring at Idiot?!... You gawking at my tits again?! Don't think I didn't see you undressing me with your eyes!" Shinji opened his mouth to defend himself, but was hushed and shocked when Asuka grabbed his hand and violently smashed it against her breast. "There you go! Grab it, squeeze my supple young chest! You like that don't you Third? You starting to get all tingly down there? Or do I have to be unconscious in order for you to get yourself off?!"

Asuka tossed the stunned boy's hand to the side. Shinji was now completely at her mercy, unable to defend himself, unable to even speak. He cowered there and readied himself to endure whatever torment Asuka had in store for him. In his mind, he deserved it. "I know what you want…" Asuka said suddenly and briefly disappeared into the kitchen Shinji never realized he'd left. She returned holding a large butcher knife. Fearing the worst, Shinji braced himself. This was it, the day all of his sins would come home to roost. He closed his eyes and waited for the inevitable. Instead, he was in for another shock, when Asuka roughly placed the knife handle into his hand. Shinji stared at the knife and then up at his fellow pilot with the unasked question brimming in his eyes.

"Use it! My jugular's right here, it'll be quick and easy for you… Why are you looking at me like that?! You want me dead don't you? To snuff out my life so I can stop being such a burden on yours?! To rid yourself of the only person who dares tell you the truth about yourself?! Well, have at it! I won't resist! I won't fight you off like I did the Eva Series while you stood by and watched me die… Well, finish what they started Shinji… Put me out of our misery!"

Shinji did nothing but sit there looking completely stunned. The knife slowly slid out of his hand and clanged as it hit the floor. Angrily, Asuka forced Shinji to stand up. She grabbed him by the wrists and forced his hands against her throat. "You prefer it this way right? It's much more personal when you choke the life out of someone… You tried this before, so here's your chance to finish the job! Choke me damn you, do it!"

Shinji did nothing of the sort, staring into her blue eyes. The rage was fading, filling with a sorrow that brought a steady flow of tears down her face. Shinji failed to grasp their meaning, entranced by the sudden change in her demeanor. Her body began to tremble, barley feeling the tips of Shinji's fingers pressed into the flesh of her neck. "Damn you, you idiot… Have a spine for once in your life… Kill me, kiss me, hold me, just do something! Anything!"

And here we reach the point when Shinji always woke up, and always with a start, breathing heavily as he sits upright in his bed. Always at that one part of the dream where Asuka practically begs him to kill her, but then she says something else… Something that didn't quite seem to fit in what was primarily a violent nightmare manifested from Shinji's tendency for self-loathing. He could never quite recall exactly what she said in the dream though, or why she'd change so quickly from white-hot angry to looking like a sad frightened girl calling out for help. Two things Asuka was certainly not, and another she would never do in a thousand years. Still, what had she said to him in that dream though? It felt important, like that one elusive detail would put the entire dream into context…

Oh well, no point in straining his brain trying to pick out a few scattered words from a complicated dream. All that would manage is to drive someone completely nuts. He'd have another chance to pick out those words the next time he drifted off to sleep, he was certain of that. He laid his head down on his pillow to do just that when he realized something… He wasn't exactly alone in his bedroom. Asuka's eyes were bearing down on him, and even in the darkness of the night he could tell she was annoyed. "Asuka? What are you?... Is it time to make breakfast already?"

"No, it's three in the morning noodle brain…" Asuka grumbled sounding groggy and irritable. "Somebody's whining and moaning in their sleep keeps waking me up! What the hell is wrong with you?!"

"Nothing… Just a bad dream and it's passed so… Let's just go back to sleep please…" Shinji yawned to emphasis his point, and thankfully Asuka wasn't up for an argument. Blurry eyed, she headed for the door, but before she made her exit, she looked back and asked him one more time. "And you're sure you're okay idiot?"

"Uh-huh…" Shinji mumbled, followed by snores. Asuka frowned in annoyance and then closed the door behind her. She was actually glad Shinji fell back to sleep so easily and likely didn't even hear her last question. She wouldn't want that doofus to think she was worried about him or something. Truth be told, Shinji really wasn't being loud enough to keep Asuka awake if she was really determined to sleep. She could hear him though, so sleep proved to be elusive. She knew he was dreaming and if anyone could empathize with living with nightmares, she certainly could. They stalked her every night from the moment her head hit the pillow. Oh well, now that Shinji was dealt with, she could go back to her own nightmares, so she headed back to her own room for some much needed restless sleep.

* * *

Asuka was pissed. She had no particular reason for feeling that way, she didn't need one, and she'd just woken up that way. She blamed her lack of sleep entirely on Shinji of course, and let the boy know about it all the way through breakfast and on the walk to school. Shinji used to be intimated by her short temper and verbal outbursts, but lately he found he was feeling more annoyed but otherwise dispassionate over her antics. Perhaps he'd finally learned how to handle himself around her, or maybe he just stopped caring. Perhaps it was both, but whatever the reason, he had managed to tune Asuka out from almost the moment her gums started flapping. It took a while for Asuka to pay enough attention to Shinji to notice she was being ignored. When she finally did, bull-headed as ever, she sped forward, putting a couple dozen feet between herself and her roommate. She could ignore Shinji right back, despite the obvious redundancy of ignoring someone who was already ignoring you. Patience wasn't one of Asuka's strengths either, so the tactic was doomed to failure. The silent treatment lasted maybe two minutes before Asuka's temper boiled over again. If there was one thing she loathed more than spineless perverted idiots, it was spineless perverted idiots that ignored her. Shinji didn't notice her stop, and his obliviousness continued until Asuka spun on her heels and was standing nose to nose with him.

"Are you listening to me Third?!"

Shinji tried his best to look innocent. "You're the one who sped off without me… I assumed you were done talking…"

"I sped off because you were ignoring me jerk! Now explain yourself!"

"What is there to explain?..." Shinji said with a shrug, purposely not meeting her gaze. He knew if he did, he'd melt like butter under her hot demonic gaze. "If you had a shrill voice in your ear nagging at you and putting you down all the time, you'd tune it out too…"

"It's not nagging stupid! It's a public service as far as you're concerned! People like you need to be reminded what worthless idiots you are from time to time…"

"Believe me Asuka, I don't need you to remind me of that…" Shinji sighed, as he pushed passed the girl with her mouth agape. Shifting from stunned to angry in less than a second, she chased after him.

"Don't run off on me! Get back here!" She didn't get far before another voice invaded the conversation.

"What's this? Are the newlyweds having another argument? It's a shame how fast the honeymoon ends these days."

Asuka cringed at the sound of the ape's voice. Toji's smug grin bore into and directly underneath Asuka's skin. His little boll weevil of a friend, Aida, wriggled and squirmed just off to Toji's left. "I thought I heard knuckles dragging… I don't appreciate what you're insinuating stooge!"

Kensuke spoke up in Toji's place, a tad over excitedly perhaps. "He's not insinuating anything! He's just pointing out that you're having another lover's spat! Marital discord, trouble in paradise, all quiet on the western… Owe!" Kensuke yelped as Asuka's briefcase connected with his omnipresent camcorder, driving it backward into the lens of his glasses and then to his eye. The boy landed on his bottom but managed to catch his detachable appendage before it smashed against the ground.

"Hey, what's the big idea?!" Toji half growled and half smirked. Seeing Kensuke land on his ass was kind of funny, but this was Asuka he was dealing with. "Your beef is with your husband, so don't take it out on him!"

"That idiot is not my husband, nor will that gutless worm be anything of the like!"

"Awesome… We can only hope he could be so lucky." Asuka stomped closer to get in Toji's face, only for Shinji to cut her off by stepping in-between them. "You two cut it out! This nonsense is going to make us late for class! Toji, Kensuke, let's go… I've already been stuck with clean-up duty three times this month, and I don't want to be held after class again."

Toji quickly visualized the image of their angry class-rep and shivered at the prospect of her fury. Even if he was her boyfriend, Toji received no special treatment when it came to following school rules. It was almost scary the difference between Class-Rep Horaki and the sweet, down-to-earth Hikari who made him lunch virtually every day and giggled at holding hands with him as if it were as scandalous as making out in the middle of geometry class. As sweet as that girl could be, Toji had come to accept that you don't fuck with the class-rep when it came to school affairs.

"Yeah, let's get going… Later demon, we'll see you in class… Unless hell summons you back home or something before then, I don't care…

"Yeah, well maybe the lab will finally call looking for their missing chimp!" Toji simply shrugged his shoulders before the boys continued their way towards school. It took a second for Asuka to process that she was being left behind. "Hey, wait up! You can't ditch me Ikari! Dorks like you are the ones that get ditched!" Asuka's insult was staunchly met by the retreating backs of the stooges. She growled while deciding Shinji wasn't worth chasing after, yet still felt the need to punt the poor defenseless can resting near her feet halfway across Tokyo-3. "I don't know what's gotten into you that you think you can just blow me off Third Child… This isn't anywhere near over."

Shinji shivered as if someone's icy glare had dropped his body temperature about 20 degrees. He shook it off and addressed his friends. "Thanks for the distraction… Though I do wish you'd cool it with the newlywed jokes. All they end up doing is pissing Asuka off which causes her to take it out on me…"

Toji stared down at his friend briefly then shrugged his shoulders. "Kay, no problem… I just say it because I know it gets under her skin. I'm proud to see you haven't been taking her crap like you used too. Brushing her off like you did just now was borderline brilliant. I kind of wish I could've seen the look on her face."

"You say that like I've accomplished something… I haven't so much been standing up to her, as I've just been trying to avoid her as much as possible when she gets like that..."

"Which means you try to avoid her 24/7 huh?" Kensuke's joke went over like lead, causing the cameraman to sweat drop. "At least you're doing something now. Anything is better than being the demon's footstool."

"What exactly did you do to piss 'ole red off this time?" Toji wondered as he picked his ear with his little finger, showing all the manners and grace of your typical high school jock.

"She couldn't sleep last night, blamed me for it… Typical Asuka crap…"

"Sounds about right," Toji snickered. "That's all the reason she really needs to get the demon powers activated isn't it?"

"Let's stop talking about her please… I want to enjoy the fact that's she not hovering right over my shoulder while I have the chance…" Shinji knew he'd have to face the German born pilot in class. At least ignoring her instant messages would be a lot easier than avoiding the white-hot Soryu glare of death.

* * *

School sucked that morning. Not that this was any sort of jaw-dropping anomaly to Asuka. With a college degree already under her belt, attending this Far East snore factory known as the Japanese school system couldn't have felt more pointless, redundant, and just plain boring. Why was she stuck here again? Oh yes, she needed to learn how to write in kanji, that was the excuse they used to place a college graduate back in middle-school, and afterward, back in High School. Asuka wasn't ignorant though, she knew Kanji wasn't the only reason she was sitting at that desk bored halfway to insanity as she listened to this old codger prattle on about Japanese history. She had that college degree remember? A tutor would have more than sufficed, yet here she was. She didn't like it, but she understood why. It was to keep tabs on her of course, to make sure a hastily developing teenager didn't have too much free time on her hands. What better way for Section 2 to look after NERV's most valuable employees than by sticking them in the same dusty old classrooms for half the day? Both the motive and agenda were obvious.

Gott, how she hated this place, especially the incessant gossip and drama that dripped from the hormone soaked walls. She was so above all this… She certainly was above having to endure those ludicrous and completely unfounded rumors about her and the Third Child's relationship. She could accept the rumors in small doses, that kind of talk was somewhat expected. They lived together, they were both Eva pilots. It was only natural that a few brainless unimaginative nitwits would see a pair of lone clouds hovering in an otherwise blue sky and still assume this meant it was going to rain. Asuka fully believed that anyone with a brain could see how superior she was to the Third, so all such rumors should shrivel and die on the vine like a squash amid a summer drought.

This isn't what happened though. Rather than dealing with just a handful of whispers, it seemed that most of this idiotic damn school thought she and Shinji were somewhere between secretly married and boinking every afternoon in the janitor's closet. Today in particular, her imaginary relationship with Shinji seemed to be on the tip of everyone's tongues. Some, like Toji were mocking, some teasing, and a few idiots almost appeared serious. Here she was trying to enjoy her lunch when she got distracted by a pair of girls from another class gawking at her and giggling like a pair of baboons with brain damage.

"Do I even want to know what you two airheads are cackling about?" Asuka glared at them while seriously reconsidering sitting at the empty table across from them. Normally she'd have her lunch outside with Hikari and even stupid Shinji once in a while, but with the storm raging outside, Hikari having run off somewhere with Toji, and she herself being pissed off at Shinji, it appeared that it was table-for-one in the school canteen for Asuka Langley that afternoon.

One of the girls wisely stopped her giggling and did her best to make herself small enough that just maybe the terror of class 2-A would forget she was there. Her blonde headed companion did no such thing. Asuka was all too familiar with this girl. Reika Ishida, semi-official class tart and, more importantly, someone who'd gone out of her way to try and build a reputation for herself by butting heads with Asuka. As for how Asuka had managed to stay in the same area code with this blonde bimbo for two years and not have buried her fist into her face, Asuka wasn't really sure. Today could be the day though, you just never know.

"We were amused to see that the great Asuka Langley Soryu eating all by herself again," Reika responded, wearing a smile so conniving that it made Asuka want to stab her in the face with her fork. "Where's your little boy-toy Shinji? Is 2-A's favorite couple bickering again?"

"We're not a couple!" Asuka growled through gritted teeth. "How many times do I have to say that, to how many idiots?! There is nothing special between us!"

Of course Reika was well aware of this, as much so as she was aware of how the topic of Asuka's fellow Eva Pilot was the hottest of hot button issues for her. Oh how Reika loved it when she could so easily irritate Asuka. She hated how popular the foreigner still was with the boys, despite all her obvious personality flaws. She wasn't about to let up the attack now. "Awe, it's so cute how you guys try to hide it… I've heard some juicy gossip on what goes down in your apartment when your Guardian isn't around. How is Shinji in bed anyhow? I bet he's not half-bad."

"Like I would ever let that perverted idiot lay a finger on me!" Asuka slammed her tray down on the table, very visibly shaking. "Get this through your empty blonde head… The idiot and I are not a couple, and never will be! It's only because of fat mouthed gossips like yourselves that anyone even thinks we're a couple!"

Reika laughed at this, stunning the red-headed German enough that she couldn't muster an immediate comeback. "Asuka, you're just hilarious. You act like such a child at times, and just because someone teases you about liking boy… It would be adorable if it wasn't so pathetic…. You think people like me spread those rumors, yet somehow you fail to realize that it's the way you act around him that gets those rumors started. I don't understand why you get so defensive about dating Shinji anyway… He's an Eva pilot and he's cute… You could do way worse."

"Obviously, my standards aren't as low as yours," Asuka snarled, though the light blush on her face nullified any intended veracity. "I'm not some airhead in a dime-store romance novel who just has to fall in love with some guy because he's the only male pilot in the story! Especially when that moron is a perverted wimp!"

Reika's eyes thinned as her grin widened. "Oh, that response didn't sound rehearsed at all. No one understands why you're so determined to deny your love Asuka, but you can't fake chemistry and you can't fight fate. Just be careful okay? We don't any little Shinji's or Asuka's clinging to your ankles during our graduation ceremony do we?"

Asuka's mouth opened to retort but someone beat her to it. "Asuka's not lying, you know…" Asuka's head whipped around to find Shinji standing next to her, flanked by his fellow stooges and Hikari. Shinji couldn't have looked more indifferent, while his three companions had various ranging looks of mortification on their faces. They were all completely stunned that Shinji had willingly injected himself into Asuka's conversation. Typically, the boy avoided confrontations of any kind, not unlike a Sasquatch avoids any camera with any type of decent picture quality or focus. Especially when Asuka was involved… Meanwhile, the red-head glared his way as if debating whether or not to bite his head off for interrupting her, but instead decided she was too interested in hearing what he had to say.

"Shinji?..." Reika mouthed his name, knowing that his presence was going to shorten her little chat with the German girl. Just when she had gotten the upper hand too.

"Asuka and I are not a couple. Never have been, and never will be. Asuka and I are just fre…" Shinji paused in the middle of the word friend, and briefly glanced at Asuka. He doubted that he could even consider her that much, nor be sure how Asuka would react, so he amended his words to reflect what he felt was the safest response. "We're just roommates, and occasionally coworkers. That's it, nothing else."

With his attention on Reika and her friend, Shinji didn't notice the strange glare Asuka was currently giving him. He couldn't quite decide if they looked surprised because of what he said, or that he'd spoken at all. Reika appeared as if she wanted to say something but Asuka wasn't having any more of this. She'd remained silent long enough. "Nobody asked for you to butt in Third! I was handling this!"

"Just trying to help… They didn't seem to be taking you at your word, so I thought I'd back you up. No one seems to believe us when we insist we're not a couple individually, so maybe if we start denying it as a pair, people will start taking us seriously."

"Idiot, even if we tried that, it would still look like we were denying it as a couple! Besides, I wouldn't ask for your help cleaning the gunk out from beneath my toenails, let alone trust you with protecting my reputation!"

"Stop being stubborn Asuka… Whenever someone teases you about us being a couple, you get angry and then take it out on me, so I have a vested interest in getting these rumors to stop."

"If you weren't such a gutless jellyfish, I wouldn't have to be so embarrassed about being associated with you! At least you're pinned to the arm of one of the hottest girls in school, so as far as I'm concerned, you don't have a right to be bothered by it!"

Reika smirked, thoroughly enjoying watching the two Eva pilots bickering back and forth. Pushing their buttons was as easy as working one of those pop-up door games you used to play with in preschool. "Oh, ease up on him Asuka… I think it's sweet that he's trying to defend his girl. I can see why you're so crazy about him!"

Asuka stared daggers at Reika. Shinji was only partially surprised when that hair-trigger temper of Asuka's deflected right off of Reika and bounced back towards it's favorite target, him. "Crazy about him!... I'll show you exactly how I feel about this sniveling little insect!"

Before Shinji got the chance to brace himself, Asuka had grabbed him by the arm and went all Judo on his ass. He felt himself being flipped into the air until he came crashing down onto the very table Reika and her friend were seated, sending food flying in all directions. Shinji rolled his way to the ground, turning the table over in the process. Two trays of food slid from the other side of the round table, one landing square on his head, and the other disgracing his backside. Shinji's groan was the only sound heard as the lunchroom had suddenly gone silent. The commotion Asuka had caused garnered the attention of most of the lunch room. A few students snickered though most just looked on in stunned silence.

Reika dropped down to a knee to check on Shinji as he pushed himself up. She snarled upward towards Asuka. "You really are as crazy as everyone says, aren't you?!"

Asuka may have retorted if she hadn't nearly been knocked over as two bodies went streaking by. They belonged to the other two stooges Kensuke and Toji, and the contact was only partially incidental on the taller one's part.

"You okay Shin-man?" Toji asked as he helped his friend to his feet.

"Yeah, I'm fine…" Shinji groaned as he rubbed the back of his head, and came down with a handful of noodles. Physically, he was relatively fine. His pride was hurt more than anything. How he even had any of that shit left to be hurt, he had no clue.

As Shinji quickly gathered himself, his fellow stooges felt that now was the appropriate time to go off on a certain red-head. Toji went first. "What the hell is wrong with you?!"

"Yeah, he was 'defending' you!" Kensuke added. "Though I'll never understand why…"

"Oh, get over it dorks! He shouldn't have been standing around looking like an idiot! He got what he deserved!"

"Do you even hear yourself when you talk?! This was a bitch move even for you!"

"Excuse me! You mind repeating that jock?!" Asuka stepped up to get in his face, but was cut off by an unexpected source. That would be her good friend Hikari. The stern look on her freckled-face was one she'd seen many times from the class-rep though it was rare for that look to be directed towards her.

"That's enough out of you Asuka! You too Toji!"

Asuka looked aghast. "But he just called me…"

"I know what he called you! I also know that you're the one who instigated this conflict, and I'm ending it now, so both of you back up!" Ignoring Asuka's glare of disbelief, Hikari walked over to Shinji who was trying in vain to shake rice out of his hair. "Shinji, are you okay?"

"I'm fine class rep, and please don't blame Toji or Asuka for this… It was obviously all my fault for sticking my nose in what Asuka regards as her business. She was just trying to get a point across…" He gave Asuka a pointed glare before he finished. "And she most definitely succeeded."

Shinji said nothing more, nor did he wait for anything else to be said before exiting the lunchroom on his own. Kensuke and Toji soon followed after him, the latter glaring back at the red-head with a look of absolute disdain Asuka scowled, folding her arms in annoyance as she walked over to Hikari who was examining the mess that had been made.

"Can you believe those idiots?" she snorted, playing it off as if she were the victim in this situation.

"They weren't the ones acting like idiots!" Hikari looked at her disapprovingly.

"Hey, what did I do?!"

"Oh please, you can't be that self-righteous Asuka! You just assaulted another student with no provocation whatsoever! You understand that I'm going to have to report this don't you?!"

"But it wasn't my fault! If anyone should be reported, it's that Reika bimbo!"

"She shouldn't have been teasing you, but I would expect someone with a college degree to be mature enough not to attack someone because a third-party is teasing them over having a crush on that person! We're not in the third-grade anymore Asuka, the cootie rule doesn't apply in High School!"

"You're seriously going to stand there and accuse me of being immature?! I think the teacher's pet role is starting to go to someone's head!"

"Don't even Asuka! You can't pass the blame on to anyone else this time! As your class-representative, I'm required to tell you that this behavior towards your class-mates isn't going to be tolerated! And as your friend I have to say…" Hikari's expression shifted from angry to one of disappointment. "That was just plain mean Asuka… And totally uncalled for…"

Asuka's itch for a fight evaporated the moment Hikari's expression downgraded. For some reason, Asuka would've much rather had Hikari be furious with her rather than for her friend to give her *that* look. Sensing the situation was no longer in her favor, Asuka responded the only way she knew how when defeat was imminent in a social setting. She snorted and walked away. Frowning, all Hikari could do was shake her head. She recalled a few things Suzahara had told her at least a dozen times concerning Asuka… She prayed that they weren't true.

* * *

Asuka decided to take a pass on the remainder of the school day. This would've been recognized as cutting class for any other student, but in Asuka's mind, she could still successfully convince herself that she attended that school optionally and it was their privilege to have her as a student. She had also managed to successfully, almost convince herself that she wasn't skipping class in order to avoid Shinji. Asuka Langley Soryu didn't avoid confrontation, she charged towards confrontation head on like a blood-crazed frothing bull. No, she wasn't avoiding that dork, not at all… To prove this to herself and everyone else that she imagined watched and analyzed her every move, she hung around close to the school grounds, determined to confront Shinji as he left the school that day. Only trouble with her plan though, she hadn't the slightest clue what she was going to say to him. This just wouldn't do. Asuka Langley was never lost for words, and had backup plans for backup plans to her backup plans. She could most certainly handle the gutless boy wonder who would, in all likely-hood, crumble into dust the moment she batted her eyes at him. She had to be making confronting him seem harder than it actually was…

To be fair, she was willing to admit that she might've overreacted, just a small tiny tad, in the lunchroom. The human jellyfish was actually showing some backbone for a change, so putting him through a table probably wasn't going to encourage him to man-up again in the future. She had to do something though, to make it loud and clear to Reika and other idiots like her, where her relationship stood with Shinji. That misconception was entirely Shinji's fault anyway. If the idiot would act more assertive and not like a scolded puppy all the time, then maybe people would stop teasing them about being an old married couple. Still, even though this entire situation was no fault of her own, she decided she needed to try and smooth things over with Shinji before anyone tried to hold this incident against her somewhere down the road. This would be easy. Shinji would buy almost anything she said to him just as long as she put a little sugar into it. It should be easy to apologize without making it look like she was apologizing or admitting to any wrongdoing whatsoever. Of course, to anyone else with any common sense or dignity, that wouldn't be an apology at all, but when Asuka was involved, this was the best you were going to get.

So, Asuka waited… And waited some more, twenty minutes or so after school had let out, and still no sign of stupid Shinji. Asuka began grumbling to herself, wondering if Shinji had clean up duty and hadn't bothered to tell her. Asuka was ready to give up and leave for home, but before she could, she noticed the retreating form of the boy she'd been waiting for. Somehow he had managed to sneak past her. Asuka frowned, determined he wasn't going to slip away.

Asuka didn't know it, but Shinji hadn't just simply slipped past her. It had taken a gargantuan effort on his part to avoid being seen by the wily red-head when he noticed her waiting outside of the school. Shinji had no interest in a confrontation, and if he could find a way to put that encounter off until they got home, he was going to give it a shot. Sadly, he realized all his effort was for naught when he heard the accented voice of Asuka calling his name… And then again, though baka replaced his name the second time she called out to him, leaving little doubt that the very person he was trying to avoid had spotted him. Ignoring her calls, Shinji continued his march towards home, though had the presence of mind to maintain a normal speed so not to make it quite so obvious that he was ignoring her.

It didn't work, because Asuka knew damn well he was ignoring her. Of all the things that moron was, hard of hearing certainly wasn't one of them. How dare he ignore her! More determined than ever, she surged forward showing no issue with pushing through anyone and everyone that was too slow or too stupid to get out of her way. She was only a few feet behind him when she started berating him again. "I know you can hear me baka, so stop ignoring me! You realize this is just another form of running away don't you?! This is almost a cliche with you now!" Still no response… With a growl, Asuka practically lunged at him, managing to grab Shinji by the shoulder. "Listen to me damn you…"

Asuka's intent was to turn Shinji around to face her. She got what she wanted, but only after Shinji swatted her hand away with his arm, and none too gently. "Keep your hands off of me! Just stay the fuck away from me Asuka!"

Asuka took a step back, and then another… Not out of fear, but more from shock at who it was that was literally screaming in her face. The shock lasted barely a second before anger took over. Shinji turned his back to her, but Asuka would be having none of that. "Don't turn your back on me! Who the hell do you think you are, talking to me like that?!"

Shinji had barely taken a step towards any potential escape, and now found himself facing Asuka again, shockingly of his own volition. That voice in his head that typically tried to steer him towards avoiding any situation that could potentially cause him pain was uncharacteristically silent. His eyes looked heavy, as if he hadn't slept in days. Asuka had never seen Shinji like this before, and even in the midst of all her greatness, the sight of him advancing on her made her nervous. "Why don't you tell me who I am Asuka? As long as I've know you, you've never wasted an opportunity to tell me who *you* thought I was! So, go ahead and tell me who am I?! An idiot, a pervert, a wimp, a coward, a boring little boy?! Come on, tell me Asuka! Would it be easier for you if I lie down on the ground and put my face underneath your shoe so you can start stomping away? Or is it too much fun for you beating me down first?!"

Asuka had a good retort, and oh how she would've loved to uncork it on this insolent little boy… If only her damn brain could get her tongue to work properly, and while her brain was at it, put a stop to that twitch in her eye. She'd appreciate that too. "What the hell has gotten into you?!..." Her voice was cracking now too… This was getting ridiculous. "You're acting like a complete psycho! Is this really over what happened in the lunchroom?! Mein Gott, it was your damn fault anyway! If you'd just have minded your own…"

"Shut up Asuka! You're the only person I know who can completely destroy someone for no good reason, and still find a way to make it that person's fault!"

"How dare you talk to me that way!" Asuka growled, feeling much more like herself again. "Destroyed? Don't be so over-dramatic idiot! Is little baby Shinji so fragile that he has to pout incisively over getting a little bit of food in his hair?"

"You're the idiot Asuka… You're the one who can never see the forest for the trees. The fact that you'd think I'd be this upset merely over something like what happened at lunch today just goes to show how lost you are in this little universe you've created that revolves solely around you!"

"Bastard, you listen here…"

"No, you're going to listen to me for a change!... I know I'm not perfect, even without you constantly reminding of it… Maybe I do bring a lot of the abuse and grief you give me upon myself… I am the one that allows you to walk all over me after all…Maybe you're right about me being an idiot. I was stupid enough to think that maybe there was something inside of you waiting to be drawn out that might make it worth putting up with all the crap. I never really believed I was deserving of being the one to pull that out of you, but now I'm not even sure there's anything inside of you to find… Asuka, I'm done… I'm done with it…"

Having run out of words, Shinji intended to end the conversation there. Asuka still had plenty to say however, and wasn't about to let their discussion die while Shinji was still in control. "Don't you take a single step Third! We're not done until I say we're done! You may be finished talking, but I'm sure as hell not!"

"You don't understand Asuka," Shinji said, a calmness in his voice that had been lacking to that point. "When I said I was done, I didn't mean I was done with our fun little conversation… I meant I was done with *you*… I'm done trying to understand you… I'm done being your doormat! I'm done being mindlessly nice to you, I'm done trying to win your respect, I'm done trying to get along with you!... I'm done trying to be your friend…" All his anger seemed to have evaporated, and now he just looked sad as he shook his head. "I'm just done… Just stay out of my way, and I'll stay out of yours."

This time, when Shinji turned his back to her, she didn't stop him. Her mouth hanging open served as her only response as he walked away. For the first time since she met him, Asuka Langley Soryu had lost a verbal battle with Shinji Ikari. Hell, if you could even call it a battle considering how one-sided the argument was. Her stupor was temporary, as the familiar sensations of anger and shame began pumping through her veins, and thus jolting her lips and tongue back to life. "You think you're done with me stupid?!" She screamed after him. "You're lucky I allow you to bask in my presence you little prick! I hate you Shinji! Just go to hell! Go to hell you little bastard!"

Asuka stomped off in the opposite direction, refusing to acknowledge several tiny raindrops that landed on her face, yet seemingly nowhere else on that cloudless Tokyo afternoon.

* * *

It took several hours for Asuka to cool down/work up the nerve to finally go home. Shinji's words ran continuously through her head, though in a jumbled mess Asuka couldn't fully comprehend as of yet. She couldn't quite decide if she was still angry about what he said, disappointed, or experiencing some other emotion she'd dare not even think aloud, 'less it might serve as an admission she had said type of feelings towards the idiot. Either way, she composed herself to a point that she felt she could face Shinji and stand firm enough that the turd couldn't so effortlessly manhandle her as he had after school that afternoon.

Asuka was a bit annoyed to find Shinji was not at home when she arrived, able to tell for his shoes weren't in their usual place. She cursed him for avoiding her, and in doing so, ignoring the irony that she'd been doing her best to avoid him. Shinji's absence, by no means, meant that she was home alone in that apartment. Asuka was shocked to find a stern looking Misato seated at the dining table, caught completely off guard as her guardian's shoes weren't found in their usual place either. At first, Asuka thought that maybe Misato had just gotten off of work at NERV on time for a change, but that hope was quickly erased when the Commander motioned for Asuka to take a seat across from her. "Ah, this day just keeps getting more and more awesome…"

Asuka tried her best to look indignant as she marched to her likely death, plopping down in the spot Misato had requested. Misato sat their quietly at first, her eyes fixated on the girl as if trying to figure out a puzzle that had been confounding her for years. Asuka's stone-face stayed true to her, not at all hinting that on the inside, Misato's silent glare was fraying her nerves down to their very tips. No longer able or willing to wait, Asuka initiated the conversation as only she could. "Can you quit it with the whole peering into my soul bit, and tell me what the hell you want already?!"

Misato was in no mood to placate her teenage ward, and remained silent until she was damn ready to speak. "I'd like an explanation for starters."

"Explanation for what?! The effects of the over indulgence of alcohol on the human brain?"

Misato ignored the comment, still refusing to play Asuka's game. "I'd like you to help me understand why I received a call from your school, on the heels of an important meeting I might add, to inform me that you assaulted another student in the lunchroom today. Then imagine my shock when I heard that this particular student just happened to be your roommate and fellow Eva Pilot!"

Asuka appeared unconcerned. "Yeah so…"

"That's seriously all you have to say for yourself?!" Misato snapped, but quickly composed herself. Asuka's indifference had almost succeeded in unraveling her. "You better have a damn good explanation for why this happened, Asuka… And why it was worth getting yourself suspended from school for the next two weeks!"

"Suspended?! Two weeks!" Asuka looked stunned, and started to argue when she remembered something important. Judging from the look on Misato's face, her guardian knew exactly what Asuka was thinking.

"Yes two weeks… Though you probably would've know that already if you hadn't cut the second half of the school day, which was the reason they added an extra week to your suspension, and as I was made aware that this isn't the first time you've skipped classes. Luckily, I was able to pull the NERV card and got your punishment reduced to a week's worth of detention. Now, I'm going to ask you again. Explain to me how this all happened?!"

"There's nothing to explain! Shinji was acting like a perverted idiot and got what he deserved!"

"Wrong, try again! The principal told me that a couple of kids were prodding you and Shinji about your relationship. That hardly justifies assaulting Shinji in the cafeteria!"

"Oh please, it was hardly an assault!" Asuka spat, defiant as ever. "Even a wimp like him, I couldn't have hurt that bad. So, poor wittle Shinji got a little food dumped on his head… Leave it to that idiot to go crying about it!"

Misato slammed her fists down on the table, effectively shutting the red-head up. "It doesn't matter if you caused him physical pain, or how much! The point is, that you humiliated him in front of half of your school, and why? Because the other kids teased you a little, accused the great Asuka of dating shy and quiet Shinji Ikari?! It doesn't sound to me like Shinji was the one acting like a thin-skinned wimp! What is it with you and taking out all your frustrations on him anyway?! Does tearing Shinji down really make you feel so much better about yourself?! I swear Asuka, sometimes I think you're no better than a common bully…"

"A bully?! Oh please, don't lump me in with that crowd like I'm some sort of common Neanderthal! I'm far more mature and better adjusted than some clod making ogre noises as he tromps around the playground…"

"Don't play the mature card with me Asuka! You're far too petty and insecure to be considered mature… Your little stunt today proved that running away."

Misato knew attacking Asuka's maturity would cut her deep. Misato understood Asuka's desire to be viewed as an adult, as the girl strove for that distinction as long as Misato had known her. Little did Misato know that her cutting remarks acted more like a grenade exploding in the girl's face, as her facial expression would attest to. It had to be done though, as one day Asuka would have to learn to understand that, while she did have a place in this world, that place wasn't high atop some pedestal as everyone else wriggled in a mindless mass beneath her feet. Yes, Asuka did possess a lot of mature qualities, and Misato had little doubt the girl could function relatively well living on her own, better so than a lot of adults even. Hell, Misato was probably included in that group, at least when she was younger. The problem Asuka always had, and would continue to face, was that it was difficult for people to consider or view a young teenage girl as mature when she carries herself like an entitled brat. Yet, this was exactly the dynamic Asuka was trying to pull off, and she just couldn't make it work. Then again, who could? It was this trait of hers, more than anything else that rubbed so many people who knew her the wrong way.

Case in point, the way she responded to Misato's piercing remarks. "How dare you! Who the hell are you to question my maturity?! Miss drunk off her ass from the moment she rolls out of bed to the moment she passes out face first in the gutter the next night!"

"I'll kindly remind you of who I am Asuka. I'm your guardian! Since you obviously have no respect for that, maybe you'll respect that I'm also your commanding officer! You want to be treated like an adult Asuka? Start by showing some respect to your superior instead of acting like a childish brat!"

This tactic seemed to work, though Misato hadn't really intended it to be used as such. Asuka bit her lip to silence her tongue, though she could not conceal the rage burning hot red all over her face. Once Misato was satisfied that Asuka wasn't intending to continue to fight, Commander Katsuragi stepped aside, allowing Misato to step forward and so Asuka's guardian took over. "This is the way things are going to go Asuka… If you and Shinji are determined to hate each other, then fine, whatever! I'm done hoping you two will one day learn to get along. Don't talk to each other, don't even look at each other, pretend the other doesn't exist for all I care! This garbage with the two of you being at each other's throats all the time is going to *stop*!"

"What exactly are you going to do if we don't?" Asuka asked smugly.

Misato wasn't messing around, and immediately unleashed the big guns. "If I have to, I'll prevent you from piloting your Eva. You'll be decommissioned as a pilot and placed on semi-permanent standby except for the most extreme of emergencies."

"You can't do that!" Asuka's voice cracked. "And you wouldn't dare do that even if you had that kind of power!"

"Oh, I do have that kind of power Asuka, and I won't hesitate to use it if I have too. I sincerely doubt I'd get any resistance. We're not at war anymore… The Eva's have been idle for months, and with any luck, they'll never have to be used in combat again. There are those within NERV and the UN who might consider deactivating one of the Eva's as a practical and cost-effective idea. Especially considering we'll still have two active units ready to go if needs be, with two pilots who are far less difficult to work with and have proven themselves to be every bit as capable as you. Heed my warning Asuka, don't test me on this."

Asuka would've loved to test her on it. Test her right upside her pompous purple head. Showing tremendous restraint, by her standards, she kept her butt in her seat and her mouth shut. Losing Eva, the one purpose she had on this world, was not something she was willing to risk even for the sake of her pride.

"Well Asuka… Do you understand what's expected of you?"

"Loud and clear, Commander!" she growled through gritted teeth.

"I certainly hope it is…" Misato sighed, as did her body from the release of built-up tension. "Now that this unpleasant mess is done and over with, may I ask you a personal question Asuka?"

"Why? Will I have to hand over my A-2 clips if I refuse?"

"No Asuka…" she sighed. "I'm just curious about something…"

Feeling she had nothing really to lose, Asuka just nodded her head bitterly. "Fine, ask away… I don't care…"

"Thank you…" Misato took a moment to collect herself before getting started. "I've been trying to wrap my head around the reasons behind this little feud you have with Shinji… I mean, I get it for the most part. You guys have polar opposite personalities, and you see him as a rival for your top spot as an Evan Pilot, I get all that. Still, the amount of hate you direct at that boy seems to go far beyond what's necessary. Instead of beating around the bush, I'm just going to come out and ask it. Why do you seem to hate Shinji so much Asuka?"

Asuka's lips curved into one of the most reproachful snarl's Misato had ever seen. The red-head was clearly agitated, as if this was the stupidest question she'd ever been asked in her life. With her blood boiling and the buildup of venom now swirling through her veins, ready and desperate to come spewing from every pore in her body, Asuka's guard lowered just long enough to respond to this most moronic of questions. She seemed all too willing to be perfectly honest, as if she'd be rehearsing for this moment for quite some time.

"Why shouldn't I hate that idiot? Besides the fact that he's a weak, no account doormat? Maybe it's because he's a sniveling, selfish little worm whose response to any form of adversity is to stick his head up his own ass and feel sorry for himself! My Mama died, and my Daddy doesn't love me! Nobody cares about me, boohoo!... My father couldn't give two shits about my well-being either, and I doubt I have to remind you what happened with my mother! I wasn't about to crawl into some hole and wait to die, or pout and moan like that was somehow going to make everything that sucked about my life any better! I improved myself damn it! I received a college degree by the time most kids my age were even done with middle school! I worked my ass off to improve myself and excel at everything I do! Where the hell does Shinji get off acting all miserable, like he's the only one of us whose life has been shit! We were living in post Second Impact! An apocalyptic cataclysm that wiped out billions of people, everybody's life sucked!"

By then, Asuka had slammed her hands against the table and was practically screaming into Misato's face. Misato held firm neither challenging nor shying away from her young ward, allowing Asuka to vent as much as she needed. Shock might've also been a factor as Misato hadn't been expecting Asuka to uncoil like she had. She needed this clearly… And Misato needed to hear it as well if she had any hope of one day solving the red-headed enigma now standing across the table from her.

"He's a goddamn Eva pilot too for fucks sake! Without us, the human race wouldn't even have a future! Can't he take even a little pride or dignity in that?! No, all you have to do is say boo to him, and he runs off to find a corner to hide in! Weak men disgust me! Why am I forced to tolerate the presence of a spineless wimp like him?! What good does it do me? Sure guys find me attractive, even more so in Japan since my red hair and European features are considered exotic here! Some guys even like me for my intellect, or respect me for my work as an Eva pilot… What happens once they get to know the real me though? The person who bristles then lashes out whenever someone gets too close… Are they still going to think I'm so pretty once they find out how fucked up and twisted I really am on the inside?! I need a strong man who can fight through it and see past all my crap, not some wimp who is too stupid to see when I'm pushing him away or what I really want! I need someone who… Why does it have to be him?! I refuse to do it! I will not allow him to get close to me… I will not fall for that idiot!"

Asuka's lips parted as if to continue but quickly snapped shut, a look of horror coming over her face as if she was just then realizing what had just spilled out of her mouth. Misato looked completely floored, as if Asuka's train of thought had abruptly switched tracks and was now speeding towards her. By the time she managed to sidestep the onrushing train, just to watch as it whizzed by her, Misato had yet to formulate a suitable response to what she'd just heard. She could swear she saw tears in Asuka's eyes though, as the red-head fled the kitchen for the sanctuary of her bedroom, slamming the sliding door behind her.

It would take a few minutes more for Misato to fully process what she'd just experienced. She crept towards Asuka's room with purpose, as well as a small trace of trepidation. She was still relatively new at this surrogate mother thing, and situations like this one she found particularly perplexing, at least when it came to Asuka. Shinji was far easier to deal with as Misato found him much easier to read, at least more so than the fiery German. All Shinji really needed was a little encouragement, and often times, even the smallest display of affection seemed to suffice. It was not a cure all for his ills by any means. Shinji's scars ran far too deep for Misato to likely ever completely understand. She understood enough about human nature though, that she could understand why that troubled adolescent would crave something he'd been denied throughout most of his young life. If Shinji was an algebra equation though, then Asuka was full blown calculus. Misato had proven over time that her maternal instincts were stronger than anyone would've dared give her credit for without snickering once her back was turned. She was not a natural mother by any means though. She'd be the first to admit that. If anything, she was the slightly air-headed older sister that you would reluctantly allow too babysit your younger kids out of desperation, deciding that hey, at least she hasn't gotten any of them killed yet. To her credit, Misato never once lamented her lack of parenting skills, and openly accepted the challenge of caring for two teenagers who, by no stretch of the imagination, were normal teenagers. She'd grown to care deeply about those infuriatingly stubborn and troubled kids, and she'd sworn on her father's grave that she would never turn her back on them. Too often in their young lives had they been shoved to the side or just simply thrown away like so much disposable trash.

Misato stood in front of Asuka's bedroom, feeling her heart wrench as the silence emanating from the other side of the door was almost suffocating. She took a deep breath before she gently rasped her knuckles against the wall beside the sliding door. "Asuka honey, we're not done talking yet. Please come back into the kitchen…"

There was a brief, excruciatingly long silence that followed before Asuka responded in exactly the manner Misato would expect. "No! I'm done talking!"

"Asuka… There's nothing wrong with the way you're feeling, and keeping it bottled up isn't healthy… If you'd just…"

"NO! I have nothing to say to you! I hate you!... I hate Shinji!... I hate everything about this place! I should've gone back to Germany, I hate it here!"

Her curses were hardly audible, as it was easy to tell how hard Asuka was working to keep from crying, but somehow Misato managed to make out every word. She didn't so much as flinch at them for those words had no real meaning. They were a reflex, Asuka's first line of defense against anyone who happened to creep to close. In this case, Asuka's stubborn determination to have the last word had forced a slip of the tongue, and as a result, Misato now possessed information she was never intended to have. Information she could potentially hold over Asuka's head or use to hurt her if so inclined. Misato would never do either of course, but the lonely insecure girl hiding deep inside the headstrong Eva Pilot was already thinking the worst. "I understand… If you decide you want to talk, I'm here…"

Misato decided to leave her charge alone for the moment, quickly analyzing the potential consequences she could incur by forcing Asuka into a heart-to-heart. Misato walked back to the kitchen and opened up the fridge, craving the magic liquid famous for making all of life's troubles go away, at least for a time. This was Misato's own personal self-defense mechanism. She grabbed a six-pack from the fridge, and then sat down at the table. She popped the first top and downed half the can in one gulp. She wiped her mouth dry before placing the can on the table where it would remain as she stared wistfully into seemingly nothing. She was determined to be in that very spot whenever Shinji finally found his way home. Only an act of God or an urgent demand from her bladder was going to make her move from that spot.

* * *

It was well after dark when Shinji finally arrived back at the apartment, though he couldn't wager to guess how late it actually was. He was kind of surprised that Section Two hadn't scooped him up yet, but then Misato had scaled back any actual interference in the pilot's daily lives to the absolute minimum. It wasn't guilt or fear that lured him back home. He knew he'd still likely have to deal with a brilliantly pissed off Asuka and likely have to listen to a long lecture from Misato, but quite frankly, he was just tired of trying to avoid either. It was time to head home, take his lumps, and then hopefully find a corner to crawl into, hit play on his SDAT player and then drift off into oblivion. Perhaps this time he'd get lucky and finally get lost in that serene abyss for the rest of eternity. Finally accepting that the door he'd been staring at wasn't going to open itself, he sighed and finally forced his body through the threshold, headlong into the raging storm he feared awaited him inside.

The sight that greeted the boy was that of his slightly buzzed Guardian seated at the kitchen table, surrounded by four empty beer cans. The look on her face displayed no hint of relief, apprehension, or anger. It was simply intent. In fact, it wasn't the face of Misato Katsuragi, Shinji's easygoing and somewhat doting surrogate mother/big sister. It was the face of Commander Katsuragi, the head of NERV who took no bullshit from her subordinates, not even from her pilots. Shinji wasn't exactly sure how to interpret the rare appearance from his commanding officer in the family home, but understood that it couldn't mean anything good.

Misato took a sip from her fifth cold one, and spoke without turning her eyes up at the boy who was busy staring at the floor as if he were a puppy waiting to be scolded. "Do you have any idea what time it is Shinji?"

Without looking up from the floor, Shinji responded. "Honestly no… Just that it's late…"

Misato nodded her head before taking another sip of her beer. "Now, would you mind explaining to me why you were out past midnight, and why Asuka's been locked in her room all night, trying everything she can not to cry her eyes out? Anyone else would've given in by now, but you know how stubborn she is…"

Ever so briefly Misato noticed Shinji's eyes widen and his lip quiver, though he quickly composed himself and continued on with his staring contest against the tile of the kitchen floor. Misato couldn't tell if that was guilt or simply surprise that she glimpsed briefly on Shinji's face, but decided this was a good sign. "Nothing out of the ordinary… We had a fight and I needed to get away from her for a while… I'm sorry for getting home so late, I really didn't mean to be gone so long…"

"We'll deal with you breaking curfew at a later time… The more important issue is what's been going on between you and Asuka… In all honestly, I don't understand what the deal is with you two. You've lived under the same roof for nearly three years and have literally walked through hell together. Explain to me how it's possible that you two still can't get along?!"

"It's not my fault," Shinji snapped defensively though almost in a whisper. He finally lost interest in the floor and tilted his head slightly to the left, shifting his focus to the wall. "What am I supposed to do? I've tried being friendly with her, but she hates me! I think she hates everybody…"

Misato sighed and set down her beer. Major Katsuragi all but transformed on the spot, as Misato lacked the desire or energy to continue acting like a hard ass. "Shinji… Have you ever stopped to think that maybe Asuka doesn't hate you and is simply trying to push you away? Asuka does have a history of this kind of thing."

"That's an excuse for her to treat me like dog crap?!" the boy spat. After three years of excuses being made for why Asuka was the way she was with him, he was understandably tired of hearing them. "I've never been able to do anything right by her…Even when I've tried to be nice to her she finds a way to throw it back in my face!"

"Shinji… I know this doesn't make it right, but of course she's going to act more hostile towards you… You two live under the same roof! Asuka can't just dismiss you like she does with other people. You're too involved in one anothers lives, and you've actually gotten closer to her during these past couple of years than she's ever allowed most people to get, and that scares her. She wants to keep just the right amount of distance between the two of you, enough that she feels comfortable."

"She can have all the distance she wants…" Shinji grumbled, drawing a sigh of resignation from his guardian. "What you're saying doesn't even make sense Misato… It's like you're saying that she's a bitch to me because she likes me… We're not in grade school… That just sounds stupid…Besides, if being close with Asuka means getting treated like this, then no thank you… "

Misato sighed as she circled her finger along the rim of her half-empty can of beer. She had planned out this conversation well ahead of the point the two were presently at, but was now second guessing the direction she decided to take it. It was times like this that she had to remind herself that she wasn't actually the kid's mother, and probably shouldn't beat herself up for accepting that she had no idea how to act like one. Neither Shinji nor Asuka really needed her to take on that roll anyway. They needed her to be what she'd always been to them. That older sister type character with just enough life experience to actually sound like she knew what she was talking about once-in-while, as far as life lessons go and all that.

"I'm sorry that you feel that way Shinji. I'm sorry Asuka feels the way she does, but I've had enough of playing peacemaker. I'm done trying to get the two of you to get along. If you're determined to despise each other, then there's little I can do to change that, so as long as I can keep you two from killing each other, I guess I've done my job. I'm still not going to tolerate the constant bickering, but I'm not going to make you guys be friends either."

Shinji's only response was to continue staring at the wall, as Misato had expected. Her head lowered tiredly, as if exhausted from the effort she was putting forward. "I'm going to ask you something Shinji, and I want you to be completely honest with me. Forget about how Asuka treats you for a second, and that fight the two of you had earlier today. Be honest, do you care about Asuka? Don't tell me you hate her either, because I know that's a lie."

Again Shinji's silence was deafening. His eyes never left the wall, and his lips refused to move. Misato didn't need his words though. His silence was his answer and it spoke volumes. "I thought as much… Look, as I promised, I'm not going to play peacemaker between the two of you anymore. I will tell you this though. If you want to achieve getting Asuka to truly hate you, completely giving up on her is the best way to go about doing it… Don't forget that."

"What exactly would you suggest I do?"

Shinji's question was distant and rhetorical, hinting that he'd already given up on her. Misato understood that but answered him anyway. "For starters, don't take any shit from her."

Shinji's head snapped around to stare at Misato as if her brain was trying to escape her skull through the hole it had just created in her forehead. Finally, a reaction from him! "Don't misunderstand me, I'm not telling you to be an ass or mistreat her. You don't even have to be nice to her either, just be civil and try to at least coexist if you find you two still just can't get along. Then when Asuka… Well, starts being Asuka, stand up for yourself! At least don't make it so obvious to her when she's getting under your skin. You don't have to act like a jerk not to be doormat you know?"

Shinji seemed to process what his guardian was saying, but slowly began to shrink back into his shell, his eyes returning to the floor that so seemed to fascinate him. Once again, Misato found herself unsure of how to interpret his demeanor. Was he still considering what she had said, or did her words go in one ear and fly right out the other. "Just to be clear, whatever you do from this point on is up to you, I'm done sticking my nose in your guy's business. I do have one last piece of advice to give to you. Don't forget that, as difficult as your life has been, Asuka's life has been every bit as hard as yours. Losing your mothers at a young age, feelings of abandonment, the war with the angels… She's seen everything you've seen, maybe even more."

Without elaborating on whatever point she might've had for bringing all that up, Misato dismissed herself from the conversation and soon disappeared into her bedroom leaving a stunned Shinji to wonder what she meant by it. It's not like Asuka's past wasn't anything he wasn't reluctantly aware of already. He was simply too short-sighted, and perhaps just a smidge in denial of how those very facts connected him with Asuka.

Misato meant it too when she decided she would no longer attempt to bring her two young charges together. That last piece of advice given to Shinji was her last fleeting attempt at making peace between them. The primary reason for her decision was because she knew Asuka was right. Shinji just wasn't strong enough for Asuka. She'd built a virtual fortress around her heart, and it would take nothing short of a small army of Eva's to break through its defenses. Misato hated to think anything negative about Shinji, but she couldn't deny that all it would likely take to scare the boy off was a toy solider with a cork gun. In fairness, Asuka wasn't strong enough for Shinji either. She couldn't offer the tenderness Shinji desperately needed as she was either unable or unwilling to understand that her constant demeaning and abuse of the boy was what made him shy away from her in the first place… Or maybe that was the point? Misato wasn't quite sure anymore.

It was a shame too, because Misato had always felt the pair would've been good for each other, on any level really. Hell, they didn't even have to call themselves friends if they didn't want to, but imagine the benefits of having someone to talk too that was in the unique position of sympathizing with certain issues you were going through that literally no one else on the planet could even come close to understanding. Their personalities may have been in stark contrast to one another, hell they were in different hemispheres. Still, if you had to read their backstories cover-to-cover without so much of a hint of their personal and emotional traits, you might swear you were reading about the same person. They had both lost their mothers at the age of four while both being very present around the time of their demise, were sub-sequentially abandoned by their fathers, fought toe-to-toe with messengers of Adam bent on Mankind's destruction, and had both almost literally been through hell and back. One of these instances standing on its own could've spawned a lifetime of therapy bills for any average person. What primarily separated these two pilots was the way they handled the trauma. Asuka ignored it entirely, masking her insecurity and loneliness behind contempt, anger, and exaggerated self-confidence. Shinji, on the other hand, allowed himself to be buried by it, and 'till this very day was still struggling to dig his way out. He'd caught a glimpse of daylight a time or two, but always seemed to lose his footing and plummet back down to the bottom of the hole. They were truly extreme ends on completely opposite sides of the spectrum. Shinji was passive and feeble until pushed to the brink, while Asuka was always aggressive and had to be beaten into submission. Misato could only hope that those kids would mature as they got older and hopefully learn to appreciate one another, if they could manage not to kill each other before they reached that point, if ever. Whether they liked it or not, they were linked by circumstance, and admit it or not, they both craved the same thing. Acceptance from others, particularly from those that they cared about. Asuka was simply too prideful to admit it and Shinji was too lost within himself to ever believe another living soul could possibly give a damn about him. It's quite the shame that neither could see that the person in the best position to truly understand them was living under the same roof.

End Chapter 1


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Asuka awoke to the surprising, but not entirely unexpected, aroma of eggs and bacon frying in the kitchen. It had become customary for Shinji to cook up something more suitable to her palette when he was feeling guilty over something, or with hope that the gesture might stave off Asuka's wrath. She actually respected this form of apology far more than the thousands of verbal apologies the boy slung in every direction, most of which were void of emotion and said mostly off of pure reflex and for self-preservation. There was actually some feeling behind this simple gesture, and Asuka considered it far manlier to apologize without really apologizing at all. A smirk tugged at her lips, though she made sure it was erased before making her grand entrance into the kitchen. She was still royally pissed off at the gutless twerp. It hadn't even been 24 hours since Shinji's declaration that he'd washed his hands of her. She doubted he would stand by a single word that he'd said, but that sure as hell wasn't going to get him off the hook so easily.

Parked in front of the stove, a sudden chill traveled the length of Shinji's spine as he was suddenly racked with an overwhelming sense of dread. He likened the sensation to a scene in a horror movie when the unsuspecting victim is suddenly absorbed by the ominous shadow of the homicidal lunatic, ready to pounce the second the victim turns around. That feeling could only mean one thing… Asuka was awake and he was, no doubt, in her crosshairs. To his credit, Shinji kept his composure, though to do so, meant he'd have to keep his back to her and avoid all visual contact. He did manage a rather subdued greeting however. "Good Morning Asuka…"

Standing just an arm's length behind him, Asuka stood uncharacteristically silent. Asuka had stalked into the kitchen that morning looking for a fight… Well, not so much to fight as to give him a verbal browbeating that would knock Shinji down to his knees begging her forgiveness. As soon as she put the baka back in his place, the sooner things could get back to normal. Instead, here she stood staring at the back of the boy's head with little doubt as to how stupid she must've looked. Her trademarked anger and sarcastic wit had somehow failed her. She hadn't expected Shinji to be the first to speak, but that's not really what threw Asuka off her game. It was the way Shinji had delivered that simple universally used greeting. His voice wasn't particularly cold or held any trace malice. He just sounded… So indifferent. He wished her good morning in the same fashion as you would wish a coworker you vaguely knew on those rare occasions you would pass one another in the hall. Asuka had no idea why his tone bothered her, but she was certain of one thing… It certainly didn't bother her because she was secretly worried Shinji had meant his rant from their now infamous walk home from school the previous day, nor was she concerned that he would now simply try to dismiss the fact that she even existed.

Blushing slightly, Asuka scowled and finally constructed a comeback. "It's morning… What's so good about mornings?… Idiot."

"I never minded mornings myself…" Shinji said sounding minimally interested in a conversation with her at best. This only further exasperated Asuka's wavering self-confidence, an event that often tended to proceed the uncoiling of many of Asuka's more unsavory personality traits. In other words, it was pissing her off. Her mood soured all the more when Shinji decided to end his side of the conversation there, and continued working over the stove as if Asuka had once again faded from existence. The only thing restraining her from lashing out was her determination to make Shinji come crawling to her with the apology Asuka felt she so richly deserved. Hell, a simple apology wasn't going to cut it, what she wanted was full-blown groveling at her feet, and then just maybe she'd show mercy upon him… If she felt like it at the time. Patience was one of her many shortcomings however, as her fingers tapping anxiously atop the dining table attested to.

" _Is his ass really going to pretend like nothing happened last night?"_ Unable to tolerate the silence, and unwilling to allow him to brush her off, Asuka went directly for the throat.

"You know, your actions aren't exactly consistent with your words Third Child. When you wash your hands of someone, it doesn't make a lot of sense to make that person's favorite breakfast the next morning. Besides, if you think some fried meat and eggs are going to erase the memory of what you said to me last night, you're more pathetic than I thought, idiot… I guess ass-kissing comes naturally to you though… "

Shinji said nothing, but noticeably became more aggressive with the pans on the stove. Asuka wasn't sure whether to feel satisfied that she'd gotten to him, or irritated that he was still ignoring her. It only took another minute or so for Shinji to put the finishing touches on breakfast. He swiftly prepared Asuka a plate, and none too gently, dropped the plate down on the table in front of the red-head. More surprised by this action than angered by it, she looked up at him questioningly, and wasn't quite sure what to make of the sad sobering look on his face. His voice, however, remained distant but stern.

"I didn't cook this meal as an apology or to kiss your ass. I chose this meal to illustrate a point. Every morning I make you breakfast, I pack your lunch for school, and I make your dinner every night. I even learned to make more western-style foods and that German crap you love so damn much... Yes, sometimes I did make it as a form of apology to get back on your good side, or sometimes when it seemed like you were having a bad day… Hell, sometimes I just 'felt' like making it for you! You know, I didn't usually mind because I enjoy cooking for you and Misato, but that doesn't change the fact that you've never once thanked me for it… I could even live with that if you showed even the tiniest bit of appreciation for anything that I do for you, but I'm fairly certain you're incapable of actually appreciating anything! What do you do instead? You complain… It's either too dry or you've had better somewhere else, even when I know the food was good! This is exactly the kind of thing I'm done with Asuka. I'm still going to cook like I always have and if you like it, great! If you don't, I don't care anymore. I used to care, I really did… I wanted you enjoy what I cooked… I always hoped that maybe you would like me a little more for it, or at least treat me better, but I was stupid to think anything I could do would ever be good enough for the Eva Queen..."

Shinji had done the near impossible. He had rendered Asuka temporally speechless. All the fire extinguished from Shinji's eyes, replaced by indifference that looked every bit like it had been beaten into him. He pointed down to the plate he set in front of Asuka, and said girl immediately looked down at the plate as if she were a cat chasing a laser pointer. She dumbly stared at the food as if it had, just that second, materialized out of thin air. "There's your breakfast… No special reason for it… It's just breakfast…"

With that, Shinji walked away as Asuka continued to stare absently at her plate. Shocked and confused quickly morphed into annoyed and pissed off as she debated between tossing her plate against the wall, or throwing the tainted food smack into Shinji's dumbass face. She decided, if for no other reason than just to spite him, to eat the food he so vindictively made for her. She devoured every last bite, hoping on hope that for once his cooking would taste horrible and she'd be able to shove that fact into his face and straight down his throat. Of course it tasted fantastic, damn it to hell. Shinji had actually outdone himself, and if Asuka hadn't been so irate, she would've really enjoyed her meal. _"Damn it, why couldn't his cooking taste like shit just this once! Stupid bastard…"_

Asuka dumped her plate none too gingerly into the sink. Though nowhere near as angry as you'd expect her to be, or as angry as she felt she should be, she put up a front of white-hot fury just in case she ran into the idiot. She stomped towards the bathroom half hoping to find the idiot still in there so she could chase him out. Asuka found the bathroom unoccupied however, allowing the redhead to prepare for the school day without further confrontation with the bane of her existence. As much as she would've loved to forget all about Shinji and his juvenile whining about being underappreciated, so she could continue on with her day as if nothing had happened, the little turd seemed to be all she could think about. Those thoughts mostly involved her cursing the day she met him and as far back as the day he was born, the entire time never once considering, for the briefest moment, that Shinji may have had a point.

Asuka got ready for school that morning in record time, primarily because she didn't feel like drudging through her usual morning primping routine. So what if she didn't look her best one day out of the entire school year? If anyone had a problem with that, then they could taste her knuckles. Oh, how she hoped Shinji would have a problem with it. Speaking of the doofus, Asuka had no patience left to spare on him. "You better be ready Shinji! I'm leaving and I'm in no mood to wait around on your ass!"

Asuka heard a pained groan at her back prompting her to turn her head towards the Kitchen. She was surprised to find Misato seated at the dining table, clutching her head. She was surrounded by a pot of coffee, an open bottle of aspirin, an ice pack, and a blueberry pop-tart. Otherwise known as the 'Katsuragi hangover treatment', patent pending. Whatever purpose the pop-tart served would be debated on for decades to come. "Please no yelling! My head can't take any loud or sharp noises right now…"

Asuka didn't have to inquire what was wrong with her guardian, or to the reason for why she was hung-over. Their conversation last night certainly had everything to do with Misato's current condition. That didn't mean Asuka held any sympathy for her, far from it in fact, however the tiniest little ping of guilt kept her from making light of Misato's condition. "Sorry… I'm leaving for school. If you see the idiot, tell him I didn't feel like waiting around for him so I left…"

"Shinji left about ten minutes ago…" Misato grunted, holding the ice pack to the side of her head, the spot where the hangover gremlins seemed to be centering their attack. "I would've stopped him but… Well, I have the energy for these last two sentences and that's about it…"

"He what…" Asuka looked shocked, and then she snarled. "Damn him, he's not going to start treating me like this… Mr. High and Mighty, I won't let you!"

Asuka sprinted out the door, allowing it slam in her wake, reverberating all throughout the house and tenfold within the confines of Misato's skull. "Sure, I'll take in two teenagers… I'll be like the cool older sister, and everything will be just great! How many beers would I actually have to chug to drink myself to death?"

* * *

The school was within Shinji's line of sight when Asuka finally caught up with him. She'd recognize that back anywhere. Shinji's retreating form was far from an uncommon image after all. With a grimace, almost against her will even, she hastened her already brisk pace into a jog in order to catch up with him. Shinji heard the shrill snap of the red-head's voice but only offered a slight turn of his head to indicate that he was aware of her presence. This did nothing to decrease Asuka's agitation which was clearly visible on her face, or so Shinji would see once she caught up with him. Shinji showed no hint of concern that the red demon was now in striking distance, or really even any indication that he noticed she was there.

"What's the big idea leaving without me third?!"

"I was ready to go," Shinji stated simply. Asuka's glare pugnaciously stated this response wasn't going to be good enough. Shinji had intended to elaborate anyway. "I didn't see any reason to wait around for you. It's not like we really walk together anyway, seeing as you usually blow right passed me the moment we get out the door. I've always wondered why you even bother waiting for me to get ready before you leave in the morning."

"It's out of courtesy to your stupid ass…"

"If you say so…" Shinji let out a long sigh, and then suddenly stopped in his tracks. Asuka got about two steps ahead of him before looking back at him with no shortage of annoyance. "What's wrong now idiot? Why did you stop?"

"We should probably put some distance between ourselves…" He replied as if his answer had been rehearsed. "We're getting close to the school, and I don't want anyone to accuse us of being a couple again if they see us walking together… I'd like to avoid getting thrown through a plate glass window or slammed into a wall if I can help it…"

Asuka's cheeks tinted pink from what just had to be anything other than guilt, but disappeared as quickly as it came, wiped away by her snarl. "Fine, do whatever you want baka!"

Shinji watched Asuka rush ahead of him with her nose pointed towards the heavens. A look of surprise filled his eyes, shocked he'd gotten off that easy. He had basically ditched her that morning and semi-mocked her, only to get off with a snarl and her trademark insult. He'd have to consider this a victory… Though admittedly, it felt like an awfully hollow one.

* * *

The hustle and bustle of the school grounds in early morning temporarily distracted Shinji from the mayhem that comprised of his home life, though the same could not be said for Asuka who was still fuming over the King of the Buffoons well into the school day. She had no intentions of letting anyone know why she was in such a foul mood, or who caused it, and felt she'd been doing a damn good job playing things off as if nothing was bothering her. Of course she wasn't, she was doing horribly in fact, as everyone who knew Asuka or witnessed her stunt in the lunchroom knew exactly what was eating at the temperamental red-head. Her best-friend Hikari Horaki knew this better than anyone, but found herself torn on how to best handle this live grenade that was her German-born friend. Normally, Hikari would've been supportive of Asuka, or at least humored her as she complained and cursed the name of that poor boy Asuka so despised yet secretly adored. Hell, the only two people Asuka had been successful in keeping that particular secret from was herself and Shinji.

This situation was different though… Hikari admitted that Asuka could stand to treat Shinji better than she did, but never for a second did Hikari believe that the abuse and grief the German Eva Pilot inflicted on Shinji was as bad as Toji let on. Her boyfriend never had gotten along with Asuka after all. That day in the lunch room though, Asuka had crossed a line, and Hikari now finally saw the dynamic between the pilots for what it was. She wasn't sure she could defend Asuka's actions any longer, certainly not if she continued to act that way. Shinji was too nice of a guy, a broken down guy yes, but a nice guy none-the-less who didn't deserve to be tormented for not living up to Asuka's high standards of what a man slash Eva Pilot should be. He certainly didn't need Asuka callously attempting to finish the job life had already started on him.

"So, do you want to talk to me about what's bothering you?" Hikari spoke up, breaking the uneasy silence, at least uneasy on Hikari's end.

"What makes you think something is bothering me?!" Asuka snapped, much harsher then she intended. Of course she did nothing to correct that misspeak as that would've been akin to admitting she'd done something wrong.

"Because if you scowl any harder you just might break your cheek bones…" Hikari sighed and continued. "Listen, can we skip the usual song and dance routine where you deny anything is bothering you, I press the matter until I eventually get you to admit at least a half-truth before you concoct some cockamamie excuse as to why you have to run off suddenly when the conversation isn't going the way you want it to?"

Asuka stared at Hikari in a brief moment of awe, and with a tiny twinge of fear at just how spot on her friend's observations of her could be at times. If Hikari wasn't blessed with the luxury of being Asuka's best friend, she likely would've been on the ground. Asuka eventually managed a scowl before offering her reply. "Why should I bother? Since you know me so well, maybe you should be the one to tell me what's wrong with me! Hmm?"

Hikari rolled her eyes as Asuka asked this as if the answer was supposed to be hard to figure out. She waited a good minute, and once it became apparent Asuka was stubbornly refusing to answer on her own, Hikari sighed as she submitted that she wasn't going to get anywhere by trying to force Asuka to play ball. "I know why you're upset… I just don't understand why you feel that way. You're the one who overreacted and attacked Shinji yesterday, so why you're so upset with him about it I have no idea..."

"I overreacted?! You have no idea what you're even talking about Hikari!"

"Then enlighten me please…" Hikari's tone noticeably softened. "I want to understand you Asuka… I'd like to think that I do, but then there are times like this…"

"Well then, you shouldn't have been so arrogant to think you could understand the brilliant mind of Asuka Langley Soryu!" Hikari was taken aback, unused to Asuka's snide tone… Or at least she wasn't used to being the one it was directed towards. "For your information, I'm not mad at Shinji over the incident in the lunchroom yesterday. I'm furious at him because he's a spineless, inconsiderate, perverted little prick!"

"No he isn't Asuka…" Hikari said softly, surprising the other girl though the red-head's features didn't show it. "Shinji has his baggage, but you're the only person I know who sees him as any of those things…"

"Maybe that's because you don't have to live with him! You don't know what it's like having to deal with him day-in-and-day-out, listening to his whiny little voice, and his woe-is-me attitude! Do you know what that baka said to me last night Hikari?"

"No…" she said, again finding her resolve waning under Asuka's intensity. She wasn't a wimp by any stretch though, so Hikari stood firm.

"Are you positive you want to know Hikari? I'd hate to destroy your world, now that I know you're such a big Shinji Ikari fan! Do you really want to know?" Asuka didn't bother waiting for Hikari to respond before she answered. "He said he was done with me! The noble and invincible Shinji Ikari no longer wishes to burden himself by associating with the likes of me!"

Hikari looked confused. "What are you… Done with you? What is that supposed to mean?"

"Is that really something I need to spell out?!" Both her eyes and her voice fell for a moment so brief that Hikari almost missed it. "He's done with me plain and simple, in any form or capacity. If that's not clear enough for you, then go ask the idiot what he meant yourself. I don't want to talk about this… The subject is of no interest to me!"

"Asuka wait!" Hikari stood up with Asuka before she could storm off. "Don't be mad… I'm just trying to look out for you…"

"I don't need anyone looking out for me! I certainly don't need that idiot, and I don't need you either! I don't need anyone…" With that, Asuka stuck up her nose and stormed off.

"Asuka!" Hikari called after her. She briefly considered chasing after her friend, but quickly decided against it, fearing she might make the situation worse. Hikari was utterly stunned, having never experienced that side of Asuka firsthand before. She'd always been immune to it, and thus was vaguely aware that side of her friend even existed. What Hikari failed to realize was that she had made a critical error when it came to trying to figure out Asuka Soryu. She tried to figure out Asuka Soryu.

On her way back to class, Asuka happened to encounter the very person fueling her rage… None too gently, she bumped her shoulder into his, knocking Shinji against a row of lockers. "Hey, what was that for?!"

"For sulking in the hall looking like a confused monkey!... Congratulations by the way baka, you managed to turn Hikari against me too!"

"Turn Hikari against you… What are you talking about?!"

"Why don't you go ask Horaki? You two can sip on tea while you pass the hours gossiping about what a horrible person I am! Hell, grab a pen and pad and take notes! What do I care?! All you idiots can have each other!"

Stunned, Shinji watched Asuka storm off. He would definitely need to ask Toji just what the hell was going on between Asuka and Hikari.

* * *

School had come to a merciful end that afternoon, but for whatever reason, Shinji Ikari just didn't feel like going home… This was quite odd when he thought about it. With Asuka serving her first day of a long string of detentions, this presented Shinji with the ideal opportunity to walk home unmolested and actually enjoy a couple hours of harassment-free home time before the red-headed destroyer of worlds arrived. The prospect should've been most appealing to Shinji, but he sadly discovered that he had no desire to capitalize on this rare opportunity. Instead, he found himself seated at the bottom of a stairwell in a virtually deserted portion of the school. The overly ambitious architects of Tokyo 3 had constructed the school to accommodate nearly twice the students actually enrolled, and it didn't help that the population of the city hadn't recovered as strongly as some might've hoped post Instrumentality. As a result, entire wings of the school were virtually unused, so Shinji knew he could be alone with his thoughts there… Or just maybe fate had a hand in luring him to that spot.

"Excuse me, but aren't you Shinji Ikari?"

The voice at this back startled the boy. He hadn't encountered another soul in the several minutes since he'd perched himself on those stairs. When he turned his head, he found a young student looking down at him with a look of wonder in her blue eyes. She appeared to be a bit younger than Shinji, meaning she was likely a first year. She was a cute enough girl, though nothing overly special. Not that Shinji would've noticed as there was one particular trait of the young girl he immediately focused in on… Her long red hair, which was pulled back in a ponytail. Her hair was a similar shade to someone who both frustrated and fascinated him. Everything else about her screamed typical Japanese Girl, but that hair… If this girl said something in German at that exact moment, Shinji's head just might've slammed against the ceiling.

"It is you!" she said excitedly, but kept under control as she sat down next to him with eyes as wide as a kid on Christmas morning. "I mean, I knew you guys went to this school, but this is so awesome! It's such an honor to meet you!"

"Umm… Thanks but… Why?"

The cute teen looked confused momentarily, but soon smiled as she decided Shinji must be trying to show humility. "Why wouldn't it be?! I never dared dream that I'd ever meet a famous Eva Pilot!"

"Oh yeah, that… Ha, ha… Not sure how famous I actually am, but thank you." Shinji wasn't kidding either. Despite it now being common knowledge as to where he, Asuka, and Rei worked and what they had been doing on the many occasions they, none too subtly, disappeared from class, they weren't really treated like celebrities. They could pretty much walk down the street and live their lives as they always had, without fear of getting ambushed by adoring fans. Shinji was thankful for the privacy, and also thankful that the public hadn't vilified them either. This could have easily been done, especially when you consider that Shinji's father was a lock to win bastard of the century, joining the ranks of such heavyweights as Hitler and Judas. Oddly, their roles with NERV were rarely brought up in public unless in passing… It was as if everyone who'd returned from Instrumentality subconsciously remembered what these kids went through, and collectively decided to keep a respectful distance from their teenaged protectors. Whatever the reason, Shinji was just grateful for the chance to have a somewhat normal life.

"Oh, don't be so modest… You defended all of mankind from unimaginable monsters, and saved us all almost single-highhanded! Governments around the world should be erecting statues of you!"

"Umm… You're exaggerating just a bit…" Shinji paused as the image of himself commemorated in stone popped into his head. That image morphed into a statue of him on his hands and knees as Asuka stood over him, her foot planted firmly between his shoulder blades as she saluted her adoring public. "I played my part, but I certainly didn't defeat the Angels single handedly. I had help from the other pilots, and everybody working at NERV."

"Yeah, they're both great…" she said dismissively, Shinji failing to notice how she had singled out two of his coworkers in particular, rather than the group as a whole. Namely, his fellow pilots Asuka & Rei. "But there's just something so romantic and special about your story… You were the one that was there at the very end when it really counted. Without you, none of us would even be here today…"

" _Why does everyone remember that part, but nobody seems to remember all the terrible things I did beforehand …"_ Shinji thought sadly as his spirits dampened. It was rather ironic for this boy who used to crave praise, and now he felt uncomfortable when getting it, especially when he felt he didn't deserve it. Would people really think he was such a hero if everyone knew what really happened leading up to the events of Instrumentality, rather than believing the illusions that were spun after their return from that twisted sea of souls? "I appreciate you saying that, but I really don't deserve the credit I'm given…"

"I totally agree," she said to Shinji's surprise. "I don't think you get nearly enough!"

Though still uneasy, there was something about this girl's infectious smile and cheery demeanor that perked Shinji up. Her interest and admiration for him were flattering though uncomfortable, and it didn't hurt matters that she was cute… He certainly wouldn't have minded admiring her with his eyes more than he had, but that fiery red-hair of hers was scaring the shit out of him.

"I'm sorry… But could you tell me your name?"

The girl's mouth opened into an 'O' shape as she blushed at the realization she had yet to introduce herself. "My name, right! I'm sorry, my name is Aeri… Aeri Shuei. It's such a privilege to meet you!"

"It's nice to meet you too… Aeri…"

"Umm… Hey…" Aeri suddenly appeared bashful as she looked away, twiddling with her fingers. Somehow, her smile maintained its brilliance. "Feel free to tell me to back off if I'm overstepping my bounds, but seeing as this is such a unique opportunity… Would you mind if I asked you a couple of questions?… About what it's like piloting an Eva?"

Shinji felt reluctant at first, but just couldn't find a reason why it would hurt to let her ask. If it was something she didn't need to know he could just tell her so… And as far as anything NERV classified as super-secret went, then Shinji likely didn't know about it. "I guess that would be okay…"

Aeri's eyes lit up, and Shinji had no idea what was about to hit him. A couple of questions mutated into an all points press conference, one where Aeri both asked the questions and pretty much answered them before Shinji could even get a word in edgewise. He marveled at her knowledge of his exploits as she recounted the stories better than Shinji himself thought he could ever tell them, and some of it he'd even completely forgotten about. The glint of idol worship in her eyes was more than a little reminiscent of his friend Kensuke and the way he'd drool or his mouth froth at the sight of naval vessels and military tanks. Both counts were creepy indeed, but there was a sweet underlying charm to this girl that overrode her crazed stalker potential.

"Wow…" Shinji mouthed in awe, even before Aeri finished her most recent retelling of one of his stories as if she'd lived that battle rather than Shinji himself. "You're really into Eva's aren't you?"

Aeri paused, suddenly turning shy again. She looked towards the ground blushing profusely, though managed to maintain her smile. "Well yeah, Unit 01 at least… Though that's mainly because I really admire its pilot…"

Shinji, who had basically made being naive when it came to dealing with girls his age into an art form, and yet even he understood that compliment… Or perhaps pick-up line might've been a better way to describe her choice of words. "I.. umm…" That was all Shinji's brain could drum up in response.

"Say um… Again, just tell me to back off if I'm being too forward but… Would you like to get together sometime?"

"To talk about Eva stuff?"

"No…Well maybe, but actually I was hoping to get to know you better…"

The faces of both teens erupted in glorious displays of red. Shinji's first instinct was to run like bloody hell as fast as he could, and then hide in the deepest darkest hole he could find. That feeling didn't last long though… There was something calming about this girl, even though her interest in him was *clearly* more than just talking up some D-list celebrity she met on the street. There was nothing remotely threatening about her at all… Even to shy timid Shinji Ikari. "That… Sounds nice actually… I think I'd like that."

"Really?!" Aeri squealed, but in the midst of all her bouncing around excitedly, her eyes caught a glimpse of her watch. "Oh crap! Is it that late already?! I'm sorry, but there's somewhere I needed to be like five minutes ago… Um, do you want to uh… Exchange phone numbers so we can talk later, or something?"

"Uh, sure…" Shinji said, really curious as to what 'or something' might entail. The pair quickly exchanged numbers. With a bow and her ever brightening smile, Aeri thanked him and then practically bounced down the hallway as if she'd just been 'called on down' on the Price is Right. Shinji sat there, completely stunned that he could produce that type of reaction out of someone…. He stared down at the slip of paper in his hand, deciding that the digits did resemble an actual phone number rather than some potential prank. The question on his lips sort of slipped out without him really intending it too. "What the hell just happened?"

"Well, wasn't that just adorable?" a cynical voice chided at Shinji's back, nearly obliterating his good mood. He should've expected this… On those rare occasions something happened to bring Shinji's sprits up, Asuka always seemed to be right there to swat them back down. "It looks like naïve little Shinji has found himself a little fan girl."

Shinji cringed as Asuka spoke. Damn, sometimes he could swear that her voice sounded like a chalkboard scratching against another chalkboard. "Yeah, maybe I have… So what?"

"What, is the way you were gobbling all that attention up. It just looked downright pathetic," Asuka replied snidely, while trying to look disinterested. "You realize she doesn't even really like you right? She likes EVA. If you weren't the pilot of Unit 1, she wouldn't even give you a second look."

"You would think that," Shinji spat back. "In your mind, I'm sure it's downright impossible to fathom somebody might actually like me for me…"

"That's not in my mind, that's just reality…"

"What the hell is your problem anyway?!" Shinji practically jumped to his feet, startling Asuka but she did well not to show it. "Why can't you let me feel good about myself for even thirty seconds without having to shit all over everything?!"

"Oh, get over it! If you need someone else's validation to feel good about yourself, then what's the point?!"

"The point?!..." Shinji's voice softened. "I don't know... Maybe the point isn't so much feeling good about myself, as it was nice to talk to someone who wasn't constantly reminding me why I hate myself so much." Shinji stuffed his hands in his pockets after he stood up "I already told you that I'm not doing this with you anymore… I'm going home, so find someone else to take your bitterness out on."

Asuka searched desperately for a witty comeback to fire back with, but her tongue remained silent. She didn't think she'd be able to bury Shinji any deeper than he'd just buried himself… For the life of her she couldn't figure out why she felt the tiniest ping of guilt over it.

* * *

It came as a bit of a shock to the civilized world when the United Nations decided to keep NERV intact post Third Impact. The powers at be recognized the benefits of keeping the organization, and more importantly, its technology around controversy be damned. There were no guarantees that the Angels might not return one day, or possibly some even greater threat emerge, that anyone in the world residing outside of the Geofront would be ill-equipped to handle. In the meantime, NERV's core goals were receiving an overhaul in order to make the organization more relevant during, what would hopefully be, a long period of peace. NERV's science division expanded from working primarily on the Evangelion program to other programs focused on studying the effects of Third Impact on the world while researching ways to improve the standard of life, and hopefully even take steps towards restoring the balance the planet had lost after the devastating effects of two major impact events.

Of course, a major reconstruction of NERV's hierarchy would have to take place if the organization had any hope of repairing its image as a defender of the human race, whose leaders weren't secretly plotting to extinguish it. Luckily for them, the road home from Instrumentality had a funny effect on the human mind. Minds were foggy, and memories were sketchy, kind of like every person on Earth had simultaneously awoken from the same confusing dream they could only half remember. The details weren't all there, but those who had returned from the soup had a collective sense of how they arrived at Instrumentality, who was responsible for sending them there, and who had pulled them back from the brink. Names and faces might've been blurred or lost completely, but the secret agendas of SEELE, and their co-conspirators within NERV were now public knowledge. Even if you washed away the crimes against humanity, NERV was facing an undeniable truth. Of its three highest ranking members, two had never returned from Instrumentality, and the one who did had gleefully retired from the world of Angels and Eva's now that SEELE no longer had enough boots on the ground to keep a gun to his head at all times.

Misato Katsuragi proved to be a natural choice to take over the Commander's desk as the head of one of the most powerful organizations on Earth. Her qualifications were unquestionable, and with the big three gone, Misato would've been the next in line to take over anyway. It helped that she firmly held the respect and support of her coworkers within NERV, and best of all she was considerably less genocidal than her predecessor, a trait quickly becoming appreciated in the post Third Impact world. Misato was a safe choice, a capable officer whose promotion wouldn't draw much controversy.

The choice of Misato's second was purely political. His name was Toushiro Tanaka, a life-long military man who had achieved the rank of Major at an even younger age than Misato had, and had served briefly with the JSSDF. His appointment served two key political purposes. The first was to throw a bone to the somewhat paranoid Japanese government that was still antsy at having the most powerful and controversial international organization in the world headquartered smack in the middle of their country. This way, the sniveling bureaucrats could feel like they had someone on the inside looking out for their interests. The second and more important goal was to repair the utterly demolished relationship between NERV and the Japanese Military. Sure, they had changed their name, shook up their leadership, and redefined their goals as an organization just as NERV had. The personnel of NERV were far from stupid though. The JSDU largely comprised of former members of the JSSDF, and the bad blood was still bubbling on both sides. Tanaka was a man admired for his strong character and loyalty, making him a great candidate to show NERV employees that not all former members of the JSDF were blood thirsty lunatics looking to put a bullet in the back of your head the second it's turned.

Tanaka's appointment as the Sub-Commander of NERV understandably rubbed some people the wrong way, and his no-nonsense and stern approach to command wasn't earning him many friends early on. Toushiro proved to be quite the competent officer however, and slowly began winning his subordinates over by showing due respect to those beneath him and a noticeable eagerness to understand their work, though of course he demanded nothing short of absolute respect in return. Toushiro cleared his first hurdle early on by quickly winning over someone who would become one of his biggest supporters, his Commander Misato Katsuragi. Her support stemmed from a simple conversation they had on Tanaka's first visit to the Geofront. They called it an 'interview', though Misato damn well knew that the UN had given this kid the job whether she approved of him or not. She asked him one simple question, one that would help shape her opinion of him. She asked him, if he had to choose between the lives of one of NERV's pilots or salvaging sensitive military research or equipment… Even if that equipment happened to be a 60 meter tall cybernetic weapon of mass destruction. Without hesitation, he replied that the life of the pilot should be the priority as long as that life was reasonably salvageable. Like Misato, Tanaka's first priority appeared to be the well-being of the people who worked beneath them. His loyalty belonged to his country and those who served, or in this case worked, with him first… Not to government agencies, not to shady mystery backers with deep pockets, or to secret agendas. After learning this, Misato knew she had the right man to serve as her second, and he had lived up to her every expectation since coming aboard. His attitude and the respect he showed to even the lowest tier of NERV personnel was refreshing… And something those people desperately needed after enduring the previous administration, the head of which had made it crystal clear they were all as disposable to him as toilet paper. Throughout the past year, Tanaka had unwittingly begun assimilating into the NERV family. Without even realizing it, he was slowly beginning to see himself more as an employee of NERV rather than a Japanese officer stationed at a UN facility.

The choice for Dr. Akagi's replacement was the most controversial… And the biggest head scratcher to boot. With all the specialized projects and experiments being performed inside the Geofront, it was widely assumed that the promotion would come from within. Someone with firsthand knowledge of all the sensitive research being performed, rather than someone cold off the street with little to no idea what was going on in that all too public, yet supposedly secret organization. There were problems with promoting from within NERV though. Very few of their lab-coats worked on multiple projects, let alone have extensive knowledge of the entire science division. Dr. Akagi's brilliant mind was one of the select few capable of overseeing them all without her head exploding in the process… The only person on NERV's payroll who even came close to Akagi was her protegee Maya Ibuki. While Maya was viewed highly by her peers and there was a general feel that one day Maya could grow into that role, that time was not now… Maya was still young, and just too green to handle the job, or at least that's what the UN decided. Maya wasn't offended by this decision in the least, possibly because she probably screamed the loudest that she wasn't ready to fill Dr. Akagi's shoes.

The person finally chosen to head up the Science Division was someone hardly anybody at the Third Branch had ever heard of… Her name was Estelle Reniot. The newly appointed Commander Katsuragi summed up the general reaction within the Third Branch when she bluntly asked her UN consulate, 'Who the bloody hell is Estelle Reniot?' Turns out, the answer to that question was a brilliant scientist who headed up the UN's Impact Research team. The groups primary focus was to study the effects that Second and now Third Impact had on the planet, and what if anything, could possibly be done to help restore the Earth to the quality of life seen before Second Impact. That knowledge and experience would seem to fit in quite nicely with the new direction NERV as an organization was going. Reniot had even served briefly at the German Branch of NERV, the nearest branch to her native France, but left after less than a year to join the Impact Research Team, stating that she'd prefer to focus on helping heal the planet rather than maintaining those ungodly monstrosities that would more likely help destroy the Earth rather than save it… Boy, she had no idea how close she was to hitting that nail square on the head. Now that the Angel War was over, and NERV's focus was shifting to restoring the balance of the planet, Dr. Reniot was open to returning to the NERV family. The UN was pleased with her work while with the Impact Group, and thus they felt quite comfortable with her overseeing NERV's science division.

Comfortable was not the word the general population of the Geofront would use when describing their confidence in Estelle… The new doc kind of freaked everyone out, mainly because of her resemblance to Dr. Akagi. Not in looks, Estelle was a brunette for one, but because of her cold and aloof demeanor. She wasn't particularly cruel per se, but tended to be very blunt, and quite untactful when pointing out mistakes. She rarely made eye contact when speaking to someone who she outranked, giving the appearance that she was speaking to her clipboard or her desk rather than the human being standing in front of it. When speaking, she also had the strange habit of switching to French mid-conversation, despite knowing it wasn't a commonly spoken language within the Third Branch, though at times could make you feel like that was the point. She wasn't particularly liked by the science team, but they couldn't deny that she was damn good at the job she was given. Projects were typically finished on time, crews were rarely overworked, and she kept meticulous notes on literally everything that happened under her watch. If a tech sneezed during an entry plug diagnostic, it went on their permanent record.

With Dr. Reniot's appointment, the brain-trust of NERV was intact. Say what you will about those chosen to lead the most powerful international organization on Earth, but there was little denying that the trio seemed to be working well together and were succeeding at… Well, whatever the hell it was that NERV was doing nowadays. Nobody really seemed sure, and least certain of all, were the kids tasked with piloting the organization's number one asset. Shinji Ikari, Asuka Langley Soryu, and Rei Ayanami. They were now official employees of NERV, rather than mere tools to be used at Gendo Ikari's convenience. Now on the payroll, Misato felt it would be beneficial for the kids to come down to the base at least once a week whether it was for a sync test, physical checkup, or to perform various odd jobs around the Geofront. You know, to make them do something to earn those paychecks rather than just sitting at home on their butts. The Commander ran into some difficulty convincing some of the more fuss-budget minded members of the UN of the need to keep the pilots on indefinite standby. They couldn't seem to understand that, if the Angels decided to reappear five years from now, they couldn't expect to just throw one of the pilots back into an entry plug and expect everything to go off without a hitch. They needed consistent training to stay sharp, and ensure they could stay synched with their Eva's. The very last thing anyone needed was for an out-of-practice pilot to find out they were unable to make their Eva lift its pinky finger while the fate of the world hung in the balance. Apparently, these UN fools had grown too comfortable after some many months without an Angel floating overhead. It would be foolhardy to assume another major threat to mankind wouldn't rear its head someday.

It was Tanaka who came up with the solution to the dilemma of what to do with their uniquely qualified trio of Eva Pilots, when giant monsters weren't trying to give it to humanity up the ass. Tanaka viewed the kids as soldiers fighting a war only they were capable of fighting, after examining the records of their previous battles with the Angels. As this was indeed the case, Tanaka felt the kids should be trained as if they were in the military. Misato loved the idea, and immediately thrust the kids into a regular regiment that included self-defense training, marksmanship, and learning more about how their Eva's ran and were maintained. Of course, the only pilot of the three to benefit from these courses was Shinji as the two girls already had extensive self-defense training, and both could tell you the inner workings of an EVA better than most techs could. Never the less, Misato mandated the courses necessary or else they'd be forbidden to even enter the entry plug of an EVA. Misato saw the benefit in her pilot's ability to defend themselves, just in case the moment ever arrived when Section Two happened not to be present to pull their butts out of the fire. Hopefully, with a little work, the cloak of Section Two security that surrounded the trio of essential NERV personnel would one day become more of an insurance policy rather than the only thing standing between a live Eva Pilot and a dead one. Asuka, of course, complained incessantly about the new regiment, Rei took it all in stride without uttering so much as a syllable about it while Shinji… Shinji was a slow learner… To put it mildly, but at least he'd reached a level where he could probably punch someone back during a fight without breaking his hand in the process.

As for the busy work portion of their schedule, Shinji usually found himself assigned to the mail room, yes even NERV had one. It was his job to deliver all non-sensitive letters and reports to their various departments. The task took Shinji into sections of the Geofront he'd never seen before, where he witnessed firsthand NERV personnel hard at work on experiments and projects Shinji never dreamed he'd ever have any interest in. A funny thing happened to him on the way back from Instrumentality. He actually started to care what happened to Earth and the people that live in it. Isn't that the way it always works though? No one cared about global warming or the polar icecaps until Second Impact happened, sped up the process, and suddenly once glorious cities like New York and Tokyo had been claimed by the sea. Shinji now felt a small measure of pride at being a part of an organization trying to maintain and improve their way of life, rather than resorting to any means necessary just to survive another Angel's attempt to wipe the human race off the face of the planet. Typically, Shinji had Rei as a companion on days he was assigned to the mailroom. In fact, whatever odd job he was involved with, Rei was usually at his side. He never inquired about why, but had his suspicions that Rei was requesting to be put on whatever detail Shinji was assigned to whenever possible. Not that he minded really, especially since Rei was not currently attending school, so their workdays were really the only chance they got to spend any extended time with each other. Rei could tend to be clingy, figuratively rather than literally, but Shinji couldn't blame her. With his son of a bitch father gone, Shinji was the only person left Rei could relate too or had any semblance of a connection with. True that the pair still wasn't sure what that connection was anymore, but it was there and neither was willing to neglect it.

Neither Shinji nor Rei really minded being put to work… Asuka, on the other hand, reacted as if she'd been ordered to drag her knuckles across the floor like a chimp, dance an ape jig, and start flinging her own feces for the amusement of Misato and her lackeys. Common plebeian work, as she put it, was so far beneath someone of her status and her college degree. Misato's response was to make use of that beautiful brain of hers as a lab tech intern on one of NERV's numerous scientific projects. While pleased with this assignment at first, Asuka soon soured on it when she was immediately treated as what she was. A novice who needed to be holding clipboards, picking brains, and learning by observing rather than treating her like some brilliant prodigy who was going to burst into the lab and cure cancer and male-pattern baldness on her first day. What Asuka failed to realize, or maybe just refused to accept, was that everyone she'd been working under was just as intelligent as she was… Only they had the experience and maturity that Asuka still lacked, as the red-head so brilliantly displayed by acting disinterested and bored the second she realized things weren't going to go the way she wanted them too. Dr. Reniot's response was swift, letting Asuka know that she had no patience for entitled children and figuratively kicked her out of the lab. Misato's response was just as swift. She dumped her off on some other poor unfortunate souls, her fellow Evangelion pilots. Neither was very happy about it, Shinji mostly due to his recent issues with Asuka, and Rei who was silently annoyed that the moody red-head was spoiling the one day of the week she looked forward to more than any other. Not because she enjoyed sorting and delivering mail per se, but because this was her time with Shinji, and now Asuka was doing everything in her power to piss all over it. Orders were orders though, and due to Asuka's inability not to see everyone else around her as beneath her, here the three of them were in the mailroom sorting through letters and reports by which department they needed to be delivered to… Which meant Shinji and Rei were sorting through the mail, while Asuka twiddled her thumbs and complained about how nobody appreciated her the way Asuka felt she should be appreciated. Shinji stayed quiet and did his best to tune her out and not even make eye contact with her. Rei, normally unnervingly calm and reserved, and though showed no traces of how she was feeling on the outside, internally was contemplating giving in to the sudden temptation to break something over the loud German's head.

"This is such a waste of my time," Asuka complained as she tapped her fingers against the desk the trio was seated at. "It's ridiculous enough that they have to reduce us to menial work as if risking our lives fighting monsters bent on the destruction of mankind wasn't sufficient, but then she takes me, a brilliant mind with a college degree, and sticks me in the mailroom with the Wonder Twins… Talk about misusing your resources. If this isn't proof that Misato is totally unqualified to run NERV then I don't know what is! Does she really expect me to sit here and shuffle through mail like some high school dropout?!"

Rei was irritated enough at the red-head that she responded immediately. "If I may point out, it is Shinji and I who have been sorting the mail… All you've done to this point is complain, which I do not believe is speeding our task along… Unless your aim is to encourage us to sort faster so we no longer have to hear you."

Asuka eyeballed Rei, unsure if the girl was being her oblivious blunt self or if, in her own way, she was trying to be a smartass. "Not at all… I prefer to leave menial tasks to those better suited to handle them."

Shinji winced at the rib. Asuka tried to look smug, but Rei threw it right back at her. "Interesting… If you lack the necessary skills to complete such a simple task as sorting and delivering mail, it's no wonder that Dr. Reniot deemed you unqualified to work in the science wing."

"Unqualified!… That's rich coming from some out-of-date science experiment! If anything, I'm too overqualified to work with that lot of simpletons and armatures."

"They're not stupid Asuka," Shinji said, not really sure why Asuka's attitude on this subject annoyed him so much. It was likely due to his newfound respect towards NERV's science division. "NERV wouldn't employ people who didn't know what they were doing. Believe it or not Asuka, you're not always the only smart person in the room. Maybe if you'd shown Dr. Reniot and the other scientists some respect, maybe you'd still be working under them and not stuck here with us."

Her mouth partially open as if aghast, Asuka looked back and forth from Shinji to Ayanami. "Unbelievable… I'm getting gained up on by the Wonder Twins…" Shortly after Rei had returned from Instrumentality, now that the secret of her origin was anything but secret, Asuka had taken to referring to Shinji and Rei together as 'The Twins'. The pair appeared the same age and genetically shared the same mother, so you could pretty much put two and two together from there. Asuka meant the reference as an insult, but even she herself couldn't come up with a solid reason why Shinji or Rei should feel offended by it. Nowadays, she used the reference primarily for her own amusement. "This day just keeps getting better and better…."

"We're not ganging up on you," Shinji said as he resumed rifling through the mail. He was content to leave it at that. Rei, however, decided to elaborate for him.

"I believe Shinji's intention was to suggest that you face reality for what it is, instead of what you perceive it should be. In no way was slight intended, he was more or less offering you advice."

"The day I need baka's advice is the day I drown myself in the lake out there…" Asuka grew more annoyed as she realized both of her coworkers had stopped paying attention to her. Rei rejoined Shinji in sorting through mail, but did so at a pace and motion that nearly matched exactly with Shinji's… As if they were two machines repeating the same motions over and over again in perfect sync with each other. Asuka was taken aback by the visual though it wasn't necessarily new. She'd been seeing a lot of odd things in correlation with the twins here lately… Noticing how alike the pair where in certain ways, how they shared similar mannerisms. This was to be expected to some extent, they did share genetic markers from Yui Ikari… Still, Asuka was fairly certain that many of those idiosyncrasies weren't present before. It was almost as if Rei was trying to mimic Shinji at times…. Whether intentional or not, the thought still spooked the hell right out of her. "That does it! I'm out of here… This job is way too beneath me."

Shinji sighed in exasperation as Asuka stood up and headed for the door. "Don't forget what Misato said… If we don't follow through with our assignments, they won't allow us to pilot our EVA's."

"Right, because Angels are showing up on our doorstep every other day… Oh dear, what's the worst they can actually do to me anyway?! Awe, will I not be allowed to participate during the next eight hour sync test snore session? Oh boo-hoo! What does it matter anyway? Taking away our piloting privileges is an idle threat, and we all know it! I'm sure Misato knows we know it too. When push comes to shove and Misato's own ass is on the line, she's not going to prevent me from piloting just to prove a point. The dummy plug's been scrapped, and there's nobody waiting in the wings who can pilot in my place…" Asuka's voice trailed off as her mind shifted in reflection of the soul she now knew resided in Unit 2. "No one else can do what we do… We know that now, and so do they."

There was no further objection, allowing Asuka to stroll out of the mailroom without resistance. Outside of the mailroom was another matter altogether. She hadn't taken three steps out the door when she nearly bumped into a tall burly man, dressed in a full military uniform so shiny that it paid serious testament to the methodical, almost anal care its wearer dedicated to its upkeep.

"Pilot Soryu?" the man greeted with a raised eyebrow. "I don't see any mail on your person, so I can't wager to guess where you're off too in such a hurry."

"Sub-Commander Tanaka…" Asuka responded more to herself than to him. The Major was one of the few people Asuka had dealings with in her young life that truly intimidated her. Misato, who drew no shortage of amusement from it, often complimented Tanaka by telling others he was the only person she knew that could put Asuka Langley Soryu in her place and not get utterly destroyed in the process. She never said this around Asuka of course. Asuka had no clue what it was about the Sub-Commander that rattled her to the bone, but uneasy was exactly the way he made her feel. The other primary figures in her life like Misato, Shinji, or Rei… She knew what buttons to push with them, and how far she could bend them before they broke. Major Tanaka didn't have any buttons to speak of, save for one giant button that read 'nonsense' encased in a big red circle with a diagonal cross running through it. He was so serious all the time, and had this uncanny way of looking straight through you without completely dismissing you. He was nothing like the former Commander Ikari, but they did share one key similarity. The ability to order someone to smash their head against a brick wall until they passed out, and immediately walk away with hands folded behind their backs as if they'd just wished you a good morning. Tanaka was not the type of officer to give that kind of order, but having the people beneath you believe you might, could prove to be a masterful tool if you used it properly. Asuka herself hadn't gotten a good enough feel on the Sub-Commander to have figured this out yet. Either way, it resulted in Asuka's decision not to even bother lying her way around or bulldozing through the inevitable. "You know what, screw this! You stick me in the mailroom, a job severely beneath someone of my talents, and expect me to be okay with that?! Punish me, reprimand me, or do whatever you want because I'm not having this!"

"You can direct any complaints concerning your assignment directly to Commander Katsuragi… As for any disciplinary action, that will have to be discussed at a later time. In actuality, I was sent here to fetch you. The Commander and Dr. Reniot would like to have a word with you."

A brief moment of confusion twisted into dread. This meeting would be the Eva equivalent of being called into the principal's office with your teachers, parents, and guidance counselor all present. "Well, this should be just fantastic!"

Back in the mailroom, Rei continued her task at hand as if nothing out of the ordinary had just occurred. She couldn't have been happier about it. Shinji, on the other hand, could do nothing other than think about what had just happened. He watched Rei inquisitively, wishing for just one peek, a tiny glance really, inside that head of hers and yet was terrified of what he might find at the same time. To say Rei Ayanami was an enigma, well let's not waste time describing how much of an understatement that would be. Rei was a paradox that made other paradox's cry out in frustration. By all accounts, she shouldn't even exist… How she emerged intact from Instrumentality was still a mystery. The only bigger mystery, Shinji felt, was deciding what exactly Rei was to him. She was certainly his friend, but now was she anything more than that? They both shared the genetic make-up of Shinji's mother, so did that make them siblings? Maybe not in the traditional sense, but did that make them any less connected just because Rei didn't slide out of his mother's lady parts the day she was born? His stomached churned as he couldn't deny being attracted to her at one time, which meant he once had the hots for a clone of his mother, a concept twisted enough to put even a stable person in therapy for years to come. Hell, Shinji was probably selling himself short. Between himself and Asuka, they were like a psychiatrist's worst nightmare brought to life. Maybe even a dream come true, if said doctor was a sick fuck.

When Rei had first made her unexpected return from Instrumentality, Shinji understandably distanced himself from her. His conscious would soon force himself back into her life however. He was reminded of how Gendo was really the only constant in Rei's life, sad as that was, as his acknowledgment of Rei's existence became the only reason for it to her. With his father gone, Rei literally had nothing. Just like Shinji had no one after his father had walked out on him so many years ago. He'd become no better than the very person he hated most if he allowed himself to abandon her. Shinji reintroduced himself back into her life slowly, making damn sure he was comfortable enough being around her before allowing their relationship to blossom into what it was before. In truth, Shinji rather enjoyed the idea of having a sister… Even though seeing Rei in that light was something he was struggling to get used to, but he was getting there.

As for Rei, she could care less about the label placed on her and Shinji's relationship. Siblings, friends, lovers, it didn't matter what they called it, for Rei had little concept of relationship status. They were interchangeable to her. A lover or a brother could be the same thing for all she understood. She never had parents or any family role to make reference to. She was simply the First Child, born and bred to carry out Gendo Ikari's will. All she cared about was that the relationship with Shinji existed. She felt different when she was around Shinji… She felt good… Dare she say happy in his presence, an emotional state she'd become quite intent on feeling as often as possible. If enjoying somebody's company was a requirement for being what other's called 'friends', then maybe Shinji was her friend… If Shinji wanted to look at her like a sister, she was perfectly content with that as long as it meant Shinji would never be out of her reach.

Shinji broke up the silence with a lite joke at Asuka's expense. "At least with Asuka gone, we can have a little peace and quiet as we work…It wouldn't be so bad to have her working with us if she wouldn't complain the entire time…"

"I fail to see how Soryu's lack of vocalization would've made a difference… Her presence still would have irritated me…"

Shinji was taken aback by the edge in Rei's voice. Shows of emotion were rare for her. Extended displays of emotion were unheard of… Even if Rei was growing as a person since her return from Instrumentality, it was still strange to see… As for what the First Child had experienced if that sea of false ecstasy, Rei had yet to share that with him. She likely never would, and Shinji would never fault her for that. Nobody liked to discuss their time within that gigantic lie, and there seemed to be a subconscious silent agreement between everyone that returned, that nobody asks about it. "Asuka has that effect of people… It's kind of strange to see you be the one to instigate things though."

"It was not my intention to instigate anything," Rei said in her trademark monotone. "I was simply pointing out to Pilot Soryu that it's through her own actions that she finds herself in these undesirable situations she so seems to enjoy complaining about."

"Right… So nothing you said was with any intention of getting under her skin?"

Rei gave Shinji and odd look before saying all too seriously, "I do not see how it would even be possible to get underneath the Second Child's skin, nor can I think of any reason why I would want to take on such an endeavor."

Shinji's head nearly slammed against the table. "Not literally under her skin Rei… It's an expression that means you were intentionally trying to annoy her."

"Oh…" Rei blushed faintly. "I should have reasoned this by the absurdity of the question… But to answer said question, no it was not my intent to agitate the Second Child… Though I'd be lying if I failed to admit that seeing her become perturbed is… Somewhat amusing to me."

Shinji almost chuckled at this… Not so much because he thought the idea of Rei finding amusement at Asuka's expense was funny, but rather just because this was Rei he was talking to. Rei was still astonishingly ignorant to so many social conventions that the idea of her even taking a subtle offhanded dig at someone was so absurd that it was almost hilarious. "It still surprises me to hear you express that feeling… I guess I can see why things would still be tense between you two… Especially with Asuka being the way she is. Without Angels to fight and no 'Top Pilot' status for Asuka to obsess over, I wouldn't think that the two of you would have much to disagree about though..."

"That's a reasonable assumption, though you would be mistaken. Our work together in the mailroom may be tedious and boring to most people, but our time together is important to me… And I don't appreciate her devaluing that time because the job doesn't make her feel important enough…She's caused you pain as well, and that is something I cannot bring myself to tolerate."

"Caused me pain?..." Shinji asked, a light blush on his cheeks. "What exactly have you heard?"

"I've heard rumors… Though no one has discussed the matter with me directly, and of course I have not inquired myself..." Rei blushed faintly. "I would like it if you would tell me yourself, though I would not take issue if you'd rather keep the matter to yourself."

"No that's fine… You deserve to know," Shinji smiled. Rei was one of the few people he felt he could tell anything too, and he found that odd. Rei Ayanami, a subject that once caused him great discomfort and confusion and yet he trusted her almost unconditionally. She'd never done anything to show that trust was misplaced either. "It's no big deal really… I just got tired or her crap and told Asuka I was done with it… Done dealing with her. Understandably, she got offended and things have been weird between us ever since… Well, weirder anyway, and to be honest, I'm surprised she hasn't given me a harder time than she has… I've almost gotten off easy."

"I don't understand…" Rei said as she examined the boy seated across from her. "If it was by your own actions, therefore assuming you desired to terminate any semblance of a relationship with the Second Child, then why do you appear distressed by it? Wouldn't the standard emotion for this situation be relief rather than distress? Especially if Soryu isn't making your life unbearable over it?"

"It's not that simple Rei… It's not like I wanted to cut Asuka out of my life. I would've loved to be able to find a way to be friends, or at least coexist in the same house without having to walk on eggshells around each other. There was no joy or relief attached to the decision I made… I did what I felt was best for me… I just can't live my life anymore constantly worried that everything I do might upset her, or try living up to her impossible standards."

"You still have feelings for her don't you?" Rei blurted out, and Shinji might've choked to death if anything had been in his mouth. "Even after everything that's happened between the two of you…"

"No, that's crazy! How the hell did you get that out of anything I just said?! It just… Would've been nice to be on friendly terms with someone I'll likely be working with for most of my life!"

"I intend no offense by pointing this out but… Why do you lie?" Shinji's face exploded red after she asked this. After a long stretch with no response coming from Shinji, Rei guessed the answer instead. "Is it because you've convinced yourself that having any form of a healthy relationship with the Second Child is mere fantasy, and you feel that if you ignore and deny those feelings exist, this will somehow numb you to the pain you've been feeling?"

Shinji looked dumbstruck, as if Rei had just taken a peek up his sleeve and read his heart. He could not respond, but didn't really have to. Rei understood, smiling softly as she nodded her head. "It's a feeling that I can empathize with… Hmm… All this chatter has put us behind… We'd be well advised to get our minds back on our work."

Shinji picked up on Rei's strategic changing of the topic, and was thankful for it. "You're right, the mail isn't going to deliver itself will it?" Shinji and Rei passed the remnants of the workday in comfortable silence.

* * *

Asuka never did like head doctors… Probably stemmed from the bad memories of a childhood filled with shrink visits and psyche evaluations. Mostly though, she just didn't like having someone scrutinize her, especially her mental faculties. Mental stability was still a sensitive subject for the Second Child, understandable as her mother had a history of mental illness. One bonus NERV received from its hiring of Estelle Reniot was her degree in phycology, meaning Reniot could double as the head-doctor for the trio of Pilots, just as an insurance policy to make certain life as an Evangelion pilot didn't melt their brains. Of course she couldn't counsel them officially as a psychiatrist, if she did, she'd be bound to patient-doctor confidentially and all that. That just wasn't going to fly with either the UN or NERV as both entities needed to know that the pilots handling their most valuable assets were mentally stable enough to perform their jobs. Asuka, per usual, was delightfully belligerent and standoffish with all of the French doctor's questions. She wasn't happy with NERV's lead scientist for booting her out of the science department in the first place, so this session was doubly doomed to be positively glorious.

"You realize that you'll get out of here much more quickly if you cooperate Asuka?" the doctor reminded the pilot, in a tone of voice much too similar to her predecessor not to make the connection. Most dismissed it, assuming that some level of detachment was necessary to perform that job efficiently.

"I don't see why I even need to be here! Or the point of that impromptu sync-test! Explain that to me, and maybe you'll convince me that this conversation is worth taking seriously!"

"When your superior asks to meet with you, that should be enough to get you to take anything I have to say to you very seriously," the doctor countered, and rather blandly at that. "As for why you're here, I'm rather certain you're intelligent enough to have already figured that out… Since you seem committed to this childish game of yours, I'll go ahead and dumb it down for you. We're concerned about the results of this latest test… You maxed out at 24%..."

Asuka immediately took the defensive. "Yeah, so?! What do you expect when you only give me an hour to work with?! Besides… We all know my sync scores have been shit since the fifteenth had its way with my head…"

"Which is exactly why we're required to test you're compatibly with your Eva more frequently than your fellow pilots…Your scores had been steadily rising these past few months, averaging out in the high forties. During your past several tests though, you've slipped back down into the twenties, a significant dip. I understand that this recent test was short and rather spontaneous, but we did notice a consistent fluctuation with your score during that short period of time. That would typically mean one of two things… Either your mind was on something else other than syncing with your unit… Or you've experienced some type of emotional trauma that you can't quite shake off… Maybe even both perhaps?"

"Not that I can think of," Asuka huffed with disinterest. "Piss-poor concentration probably happens naturally when you get ambushed with a surprise sync-test, and only given fifteen minutes to prepare for it! You try to focus under those conditions!"

"I assumed the great Asuka Langley Soryu could ace any test thrown at her when it came to piloting Eva, no matter how unexpected or daunting… Which leads me to believe that you're whining is nothing more than an excuse to deflect attention away from what's truly distracting you. For the sake of quenching my curiosity, your lack of focus doesn't have anything to do with your recent issues with Pilot Ikari do they?"

Asuka's aghast reaction only served to amuse the doctor. "Oh please! Even if I was having trouble concentrating, that worthless idiot would be the last thing affecting my performance!"

"I see…" Dr. Reniot scribbled some seemingly random notes upon her evaluation sheet. "So I trust your strained relationship with the Third Child won't compromise any future sync tests?"

"No they won't, and never have!" Asuka growled almost gritting her teeth.

"I certainly hope this is the case… That's all I have for you today, you can go now."

"Um… What?" Asuka had heard the doctor, but couldn't believe those words had come out of her mouth. In days past, these sync tests literally took all day, and throw a psych evaluation on top of it… There just wasn't any possible way that she'd jumped through all their hoops after only a couple of hours.

"I said we were done. We have nothing left for you to do today. You're free to go home for the evening."

"Seriously?! Just like that? No busy work or debriefing from the sub-commander?"

"Good-bye Asuka," the doctor said simply, her way of telling the pilot that she had other things to do. Basically, she was telling Asuka to 'shoo' in every polite way she could think of. "Enjoy the rest of your day."

Now satisfied she understood correctly, Asuka wasted no time or any words as she quickly exited Doctor Reniot's office. The Doc scribbled a few final notes before leaving her office and entering a nearby conference room where the Commander and Sub-commander of NERV were waiting for her. Misato waited patiently for all of three seconds before the questions started flying.

"How did it go? Any insights into Asuka's current state of mind?"

Reniot smiled at the commander as she declined taking a seat. Misato's professionalism as the head of NERV conflicting with her concern over one of 'her kids' wasn't a trait the Commander even remotely attempted to hide. "Asuka is not nearly as complicated as she'd like people to think she is. To someone who understands the workings of the human psyche, she's actually quite transparent. Asuka's issues with Shinji are directly linked with her poor performance in today's sync test. While she very audibly, and loudly, insisted this wasn't the case, her body language and mannerism said something entirely otherwise. In fact, what compounds her problems is how much effort and energy she wastes trying to convince everyone Shinji is not part of the problem."

"I was afraid of that…" Misato nibbled at the nail of the index finger… A nervous tick she'd developed during her time at NERV. "And she'd been doing so well lately… I'd hate to see her regress again because, well… She had to go and act like Asuka…"

"The Second Child isn't going to be much good to us if she can't stabilize her connection to her Evangelion," the practical Sub-commander Tanaka interjected. "If the Third Child is hindering the Second's progress, perhaps it would be in their best interest to separate them. We're no longer at war, and from the looks of things, encounters with Angels will hopefully prove to be a thing of the past. There doesn't appear to be an immediate need to have the two pilots living under the same roof. The Second Child may likely benefit from a change of scenery, or possibly even a transfer back to Germany if remaining in Japan is going to lead to further conflict with her fellow pilots."

"No," Misato said with conviction, killing that idea before it even hit the table. "We're not shipping Asuka off anywhere, that's completely out of the question."

"With all due respect Commander," Tanaka said, and he meant it too. "I understand your attachment to the pilots, but you have a duty to NERV and the well-being of those two kids. Keeping them together in a poisonous relationship for the sake of sentiment cannot be good for either one of them, nor for you for that matter."

"I understand my duty Tanaka… I also understand your concern, but I just don't agree. Asuka had a fragile mindset going into the Angel War, and it's a testament to that girl's inner-strength that after everything she went through in that war, it didn't completely break her. Shinji and I are that girl's only support system right now. I'm afraid that if we take that away from her, it'll undo any good that's been done since she returned form Instrumentality. I admit freely that I'm bias, but as their Guardian, I've had the privilege of observing those kids in an environment not many people have. I've seen legitimate progress, and a willingness to close the gap between them. I want to give them that chance…"

"You make a very valid point Commander… However, I'd be remiss not to warn you… Even if Asuka is willing to work on her relationship with Shinji, she's the type of personality who's only going to do so if and when she wants to do so. In other words, you may have to wait a long time if it even happens at all."

"You say that like I've never met Asuka," Misato chuckled. "Trust me guys, I'm not going to put my personal feelings above the well-being of those kids. If there ever comes a time when I feel the best thing for Asuka and Shinji would be to separate them, then I'll do it. Until that day comes though, this discussion is closed. Those kids will remain under my care for the time being."

With that the meeting was soon adjourned. Dr. Reniot left the room just as the Commander and her second dove into the joyous world of the next month's budget.

* * *

Asuka followed her post sync test ritual religiously, a schedule not all that difficult to maintain seeing as it consisted of a long hot shower and little else. It sometimes took hours to wash every last trace of LCL from her hair, not to mention that unholy stink the blood-mimicking substance coated deep within every poor of the pilot's body. It was a laborious regiment indeed, but a necessary one for a girl like Asuka whose confidence was so unhealthily tied to her outward appearance. The time and effort it took to rid herself of the substance made it difficult to enjoy the typically pleasant experience of a hot shower, made all the more tedious as it gave the girl too much time to think. When Asuka had too much time to think, her mind tended to wander towards a certain boy she wished she could bar from her mind forever. As much as she loathed the very idea of Shinji Ikari, here she was taunting herself by remembering the way Rei and Shinji had spoken to her in the mailroom, or at least how she perceived they had treated her.

"Stupid Shinji… Where does he get off talking down to me?! I could just about drop dead from the shame of it… If he wants his damn doll, then he can have her! Where else is he going to find someone as pathetic and emotionally stunted as he is?! Maybe between the two of them, they can figure out how to work the brain they share without Shinji's dad around to push their buttons for them…"

In the distance, Asuka could hear the doors to the girls changing room slide open. While the area was open to all female employees of NERV, only the pilots really had any need to change clothes or shower. In other words, Asuka had a pretty good idea of who had entered the changing room. A part of her really hoped it was who she thought it was, because she would love to give the suspected person a piece of her mind. As she sensed the presence of another person enter the shower a couple of stalls down, she decided to play off her hunch and went for broke.

"If you're trying to wash the Ikari stink off of you, you're going to need something a lot stronger than soap. I'm surprised the idiot pulled his head out of your ass long enough for you to even hit the showers…"

A brief silence passed, the recipient of Asuka's jab processing how exactly she should respond. She finally did so in the monotone voice Asuka had expected to hear. "I do not believe it's physically possibly for a person to shove one's head into an orifice as small as the human anal cavity. Even if it was possible, it wouldn't have taken long for Shinji to expire from asphyxiation."

"I didn't mean it literally you damn robot!" Asuka barked, as she just barely avoided slipping in her stall. How she hated wasting her golden wit on some emotionless doll too clueless to realize when she was being insulted.

"That is fortunate… I would assume one with a college degree would have a better understating of human anatomy."

"That does it! I know you're fucking with me Wonder Girl, and I don't like it one damn bit! Where do you get off being so snarky with me lately?! Shinji too!"

Rei paused again. Feeling she had the proper words gathered, she finally spoke. "With all due respect Pilot Soryu, it feels somewhat disingenuous to hear you commenting on someone else's attitude. If you were expecting us to sit idly by while you continually demean us, then you're deluding yourself."

"Oh, how sweet! If it isn't a unified front from the Wonder Twins to combat mean old Asuka… How did the two of you come to that decision? Did Misato order you not to take any crap from me, or does the human doll suddenly have a mind of her own now?"

"I very much have a will of my own Soryu," Rei snapped, with a bite that again startled Asuka. "I always have, though my will at the time was to fulfill Commander Ikari's plans… Now my desires have changed. I never cared much about your petty insults or perpetual need to step on other people in order to validate yourself. You're opinion means next to nothing to me, for I've always found you abhorrent and unreasonably obnoxious. However, when your actions do harm to my brother, that's when I start caring!"

Locked and ready to retort, Asuka's tongue sputtered as she struggled to stifle a laugh. "You're brother?! That's seriously what you're going with now?! Do you even understand what it means to have a sibling?"

"Yes… Siblings are traditionally the birthed offspring of a common parent or parents… As in the case of Shinji and myself, we have the same mother, therefore we are technically half-siblings."

"That's not what I mean, and you know it Wonder Girl! I wasn't asking if you knew the definition, I was questioning whether or not you understand the dynamics! What it means to have a brother, how you're supposed to act in relation to him!"

"I readily admit that the concept of traditional human relationships eludes me… To answer your question, I have no idea how to act as a proper sister to Shinji… He is willing to accept me as such however, so I will try to reciprocate to the best of my abilities." Inwardly, all Rei was thinking was that, if it brought her closer to Shinji, then that was all she really cared about.

"Well, please allow me the honor of giving you a small bit of advice Wonder Girl… The first and foremost thing you have to remember about having a sibling is this… Sisters, 'do not' want to fuck their brothers!"

Asuka couldn't see Rei's face from two stalls down, but it had turned a rare shade of bright red. "I have never even considered having intercourse with Shinji…"

"Really Wonder Girl? Never? Not even once has the thought crossed your mind?"

Total silence wouldn't have been strong enough an answer for Asuka. Rei wasn't one to keep her thoughts to herself, especially when she felt social convention obligated a response from her, regardless of how embarrassing the subject matter, or uncomfortable giving that response made her. Damn, someone really needed to sit down and have a long talk with her about what social convention actually demanded of her.

"Perhaps claiming that the thought has never crossed my mind isn't entirely accurate, however I do not understand what that has anything to do with being his sibling."

"And that's exactly the problem Rei! You've had romantic feelings for Shinji in the past, and I'm sure you still do. That's the reason this sweet little brother/sister fantasy you're trying to cling too isn't going to work! This isn't Star Wars! You can't just suddenly decide to start calling someone your brother when you still have those kinds of feelings stirring around inside of you! Societal Rule #1 Wonder Girl, incest is bad! It's not natural, and normal people with any decency aren't going to accept it!"

Rei remained quiet for some time after that. Assuming her irrefutable logic had won the argument, Asuka returned her attention back to washing her hair when Rei finally spoke up. "Why should I care what people think? It matters little to me if your society accepts me or whatever relationship I choose to have with Shinji. As long as he accepts me for what I am, that's all that matters to me…"

"There you go again! Shinji, Shinji, Shinji! Completely tying you self-worth to one person is pathetic!"

"You're forgetting something Second Child." Asuka jumped, not because of the stern tone in Rei's voice, but rather because she was now standing directly outside of Asuka's stall staring directly at her. To Asuka's shock, Rei forced the stall door open so the pair of rival pilots could stare one another down without any barriers. Not even their clothes… "I hadn't the slightest clue what self-worth was, or that I could be anything more than a tool to be used by the Commander until I outlived my usefulness to him. Shinji is the reason I have any sense of individuality, so forgive me if I hold his opinion of me in higher regard than someone with such a jaded view of the world such as you."

"Damn it, are you even listening to yourself?! You *cannot* have the type of relationship with Shinji that you want! You have his mother's DNA! You're her clone damn it! He'll never be able to look at you without seeing her!"

"I'm aware of this… Despite what you believe, I am not pursuing a romantic relationship with Shinji, just simply pursuing a relationship… That is all that matters to me as of now…" Rei's brow creased aggressively as she tried to glare a hole through the Second Child. "As such, I will not allow anyone to get in the way of that. Anyone who tries will not be met well."

Rei was done with the conversation and thus turned her back on Asuka. The red-head was not finished however. "Was that supposed to be a threat Wonder Girl?!"

Rei stopped and partially turned her head back towards Asuka. "A threat would imply there is no substance to what I have said… Even you should know me better than that…"

This was where the conversation ended. Asuka angrily squeezed out the remnants of her shampoo bottle, and then chucked it into parts of the locker room as of yet unknown.

End Chapter 2

 **-And so, the new hierarchy of NERV has been introduce. I guess I could've been lazy and used existing characters to fill those rolls but Maya and company just don't really fit with the direction I'm taking this story. Neither of the new guys are going to be major characters, but they do have a purpose to serve when the time comes.**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

If daydreaming in class was a crime, Shinji Ikari would've been locked away in the dungeon of some desolate island with his ankles chained to the wall. When Shinji did daydream, it was usually about girls, though nowhere near in the traditional sense in which most young men fantasied about young ladies. His daydreams often featured murderous red-headed roommates, or a borderline alcoholic guardian who also happened to be his boss. They often involved avoiding right hooks, slipping on empty beer cans, and worrying over how he was supposed to look someone in the eye when she happened to be wearing the face of the long dead mother he vaguely remembered. Bizarrely enough, Shinji could handle all that for the most part. It was the supposedly simple things, such as sharing lunch with a cute girl who genuinely seemed to adore him, that absolutely fucking terrified him.

Shinji's friends noticed he was miles away despite being seated at the desk the two boys were huddled around. Like teenage boys tend to do, they supported their friend in the best way they knew how. They teased him about it unmercifully. Shinji was rustled from his daydream when Toji hung his arm across Shinji's shoulders, smirking coyly. "So… Just a few more minutes until your big lunch date with that Aeri chick isn't it? I bet your just counting down the second's arentcha?"

"To be honest no, because I'm kind of freaking out… And it's not a date! We're just having lunch together, and getting to know each other…"

"Not a date, right…" countered Kensuke. The guy gullible enough to believe just about every conspiracy theory known to man, even made up half of them himself, and yet was skeptical about this for whatever reason. "Is it not a date in the same way that it's not a date whenever Toji has lunch with Hikari?"

"Yeah," Toji agreed until he processed what the camera toting geek had said, and then practically lunged at Kensuke. "Wait, those *aren't* dates! It is just lunch in our case!"

Now it was Kensuke's turn to smirk coyly. Why settle for teasing one friend, when you could poke two for the price of one? "Why is it not a date when you and Hikari have lunch together, but it is a date when Shinji does it?"

"Because!... Well…" Toji turned near candy-apple red. His brain had thrown the bucket into the well, and all it hit was the dirt on the bottom. "Shut up Kensuke!"

"Oh brother…" Shinji sighed, and gazed out the window. After one of Toji's death promising glares finally stifled Kensukes cackling, the tall jock got serious as he turned his attention back to Shinji. Toji though, of course, faced in the opposite direction as he spoke. To him, that was just the way men had conversations like the one they were having. "Look man, just don't overdo it… Don't even talk until you have too… She's a girl, so she'll do most of the talking anyway…"

"That'll also help you avoid saying anything stupid to embarrass yourself and make her wonder what she ever saw in you in the first place!" Kensuke added, unhelpful as a friend could possibly be.

Toji smirked slightly. "Yeah, that too."

Shinji grumbled in annoyance before a shrill bellow interrupted any further teasing Shinji's opportunistic friends may have had planned for him. "Toji, Aida! Get back to your seats! It's still resource hour, it's not lunch time yet! And leave Shinji alone, he's nervous enough as it is…"

Hikari looked down at Shinji with a supportive, if not somewhat sad smile. "You don't have anything to worry about Shinji… When a girl makes lunch for you, it is a big deal, regardless of what some certain lunkhead might think!" A nod of her head in his direction caused Toji to fidget. "She's clearly into you, so you'd almost have to be trying to screw things up…"

Shinji peered upward and smiled appreciatively at his friend and class-representative. Her brow quickly creased into a frown and she glared at the two boys still standing behind Shinji's desk. "Why am I having to say this again?! Get in your seats, or you'll have clean up duty for the rest of the week!"

The stooges quickly scattered to their desks like frightened squirrels. Now it was Shinji's turn to chuckle as Hikari just sighed in exasperation. Her eyes scrolled the rest of the classroom, seeking out any other rebellious students that dare not comply with classroom rules while she was on patrol. Wouldn't you know it, that everyone was in compliance except for one… The last person Hikari wanted to confront, a certain red-head who was dosing unapologetically near the far corner of the classroom. Earlier in the week, Asuka had made an unauthorized seating change, one as far away as possible from Hikari, Shinji, and the rest of their unofficial group that usually sat in a cluster. While this normally would not have been tolerated, no one really felt it was necessary to get into the nasty altercation likely to follow if someone called Asuka out on the minor infraction. Most of her classmates were smart enough not to complain about it either.

Seat jumping was one thing, sawing logs in class was just plain unacceptable. Hikari walked over to Soryu's desk and proceeded to glare at her disapprovingly, as if she thought this would somehow stir the red-headed German from her slumber. Strangely enough, it seemed to work, as Asuka's eyes opened and complimented the drowsy face they belonged too. Asuka blushed faintly, looking slightly awkward before frowning as she turned her head away. "What's wrong? Was I snoring too loud?"

Hikari's demeanor showed zero interest in dealing with Asuka's dry brand of sarcasm. "Even if you don't have any work to catch up on, sleeping in class is still prohibited. If I catch you again, I'm going to have to report you."

"Oh, please don't," Asuka mocked with little enthusiasm. "Don't mess with Sheriff Horaki! She might make you sweep the floor or wash the chalkboard…"

"Don't talk down to me Asuka! I'm not one of the guys! I'm not going to stand for it!" Hikari bit her lip as Asuka continued to look away from her, looking disinterested in the conversation. "This is stupid… There is no reason for us to be fighting! There's no reason for you to sitting over here either, go back to your normal seat!"

"No thanks," she said dispassionately. "Don't' care for the company…"

"Asuka… At least meet me during lunch so we can talk this over… Not the sleeping, but all this weirdness going on between us… Please?"

Asuka didn't respond, continuing to stare off in the other direction as if ready to drift back to sleep the moment Hikari's futile attempt to mend bridges ended. Hikari wanted to say something else, but the ringing of the lunch bell cut her off… Asuka practically jumped out of her seat, and hastily fled the classroom as a large mass of her fellow student body followed. Hikari watched the red-head leave in disbelief at how she'd just been completely dismissed by her so-called best friend. Sighing in defeat, she left the classroom by herself. Shinji, who had noticed the exchange, decided to chase after her.

"Hikari, wait up!" Shinji called as he caught up to her in the hall. Hikari turned to the boy, looking surprised.

"Oh, hey Shinji… What's up?"

"I… I just wanted to say thank you… For your advice about Aeri earlier…"

"Of course," she said, as if Shinji was silly even thinking he needed to show gratitude. "Couldn't have you meeting your friend, with you relying solely on Toji's advice, on my conscious…"

"Yeah…" Shinji blushed shyly then started looking in every which direction but Hikari's. "No, that's not it at all… I'm sorry, that's not what I wanted to say… I wanted to apologize for everything that's been happening with you and Asuka…"

"Oh please, don't start apologizing for her Shinji," Hikari sighed again. "How is it your fault that Asuka is temperamental and stubborn?"

"It's not but… I still feel responsible since she's treating you like this because you took my side after the lunchroom incident… It's not fair to you that she's been blowing you off because of her issues with me…"

"I wasn't taking anyone's side…" Hikari sighed in frustration. Frustrated over Asuka's behavior and Shinji's persistent need to feel guilty about it despite her numerous attempts to assure him she did not blame him for their falling out. "I responded the way any sensible person would… If she wants to act childish and give me the silent treatment because I don't mindlessly accept her every word and action as pure gold, then she's in for a shock if she thinks she can bully me into folding over for her! I'm her friend, not some Eva groupie! If she's willing to throw our friendship away over something so trivial… Well, maybe the friendship just isn't worth saving…"

It literally hurt Shinji's heart to hear her say that, especially knowing his inability to get along with Asuka had caused the rift between the two girls. He just couldn't stand by and allow that crack to become a canyon. "She doesn't want to throw away your friendship Hikari… You know how she is… When she wants to be right or prove a point, she's going to fight you to the very last breath in her body. Look… I don't know what good it'll do, probably none at all… But I'll try to talk to Asuka for you… See if I can't get some of the heat off of you…"

Hikari looked up at Shinji in surprise, though a small smile soon found her face. "Thank you… I won't hold my breath, but I would appreciate that…" Hikari's face suddenly turned serious. "Now, why are you still wasting time talking to me? Isn't somebody waiting on you to have lunch? You know it's rude to keep a lady waiting?!"

"Oh right, Aeri!" Shinji turned crimson instantly, having almost forgotten about his lunch 'date'. "Thanks again Hikari… I'll see you back in class."

Shinji sprinted off to find his new friend, waving erratically towards the Class Rep. Hikari's soft amused smile at his adorable antics slowly faded into a sad frown as thoughts of Shinji and this Aeri girl filled her head… Thoughts of Shinji being involved with a girl that wasn't Asuka, and the effect it was going to have on the German teen despite any of her barely half-logical claims to the contrary. Her heart sank a little at these thoughts… She did hope Shinji had fun on this little lunch date… Was it wrong of her though to hope he didn't have too much fun?

* * *

Aeri's food wasn't the worst thing Shinji had ever tasted… It wasn't anywhere near the best either, nowhere near Shinji's standards as he himself was a virtual wizard in the kitchen. As you'd come to expect from Shinji though, he smiled through the blandness and munched away like it was the greatest tasting meal to ever grace his tongue. Aeri, perhaps a bit naively, ate up every complement Shinji gave her. She had no reason not to believe him after all, and Shinji did have quite the sincere demeanor when he wasn't moping around like the world was going to collapse beneath his feet at any moment. The lunch consisted of simple rice-balls for the most part… A cliché offering for young girls trying to impress boys they like, but there was a reason for that. Rice-Balls were a laborious but otherwise simplistic treat to whip-up for young teenage girls who were typically just learning their way around a kitchen, as Aeri clearly was. The common rice-ball showed she put some effort into the meal she prepared, but it didn't require the skill of a seasoned chef. Shinji was a considerate enough boy to recognize the effort Aeri put in, and the meal was just edible enough to enable him to keep a straight face as he munched away. They finished relatively early, leaving the teens plenty of time to talk before classes resumed. The pair was seated outside, near where Shinji and his friends usually escaped too during lunch period.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it Shinji… I know you're probably used to eating really well at home though, living in a house with two women and all…"

Shinji nearly snorted in amusement, but managed to keep his juice from squirting out of his nose. "Kind of, but not for the reason you think… Asuka feels basic household tasks like cooking are beneath her, and I'm pretty sure Misato's cooking has been classified as a form of child abuse. I actually do most of the cooking… They tell me I'm pretty good at it, though sometimes I wonder if they complement me just so they don't have to cook."

"Really?" Aeri looked floored, almost borderline disturbed by this information. Shinji ignored the odd reaction, assuming that Aeri must've grown up in a traditional Japanese family. "I would never have guessed…"

"It's true, I promise… I prepare lunch for Asuka and myself almost every school day… Maybe I should make a lunch for you sometime, so you can try my cooking?"

Aeri's gears seemed to switch back to normal and she smiled, blushing faintly. "Yeah… I think I'd like that…"

The pair sat silently for a moment, Aeri kicking her legs and humming contently. Her counterpart felt anything but serene as he nervously tried to think up some topic to start small talk about, and without sounding like a complete buffoon in the process. They were trying to get to know each other after all. "So Aeri… Where are you from originally? Tokyo 3 is still a rather new city, so I know most people moved here from other places after it was built."

"Believe it or not, I'm actually from around here… Not the city itself of course, but I was born in a village not that far from here… My grandparents still own a farm out there. My parents moved to Tokyo 3 when my father took a construction job, so I actually have lived in the city for most of my life. Except for a short time when we had to evacuate after…" Aeri paused, not sure she wanted to bring up what she understood to be a sore subject for the Eva Pilot. "All that mess that went on… But you know that story as well as anyone..."

"Yeah…" Shinji reminisced wistfully which created the threat of Shinji retreating within himself. He was no fool, and he knew what he was getting into when he decided to humor the advances of a ragging Eva fan-girl. The questions concerning Eva and his time within its entry plug were destined to come up during conversation, despite how badly Shinji wished he had never stepped foot inside one of those organic weapons of mass destruction… If he couldn't avoid the questions, at the very least maybe he could side-step them to the best of his abilities. There really was no need to completely crush Aeri's misguided perception of him as some sort of virtuous superman fighting to defend the human race. In the beginning, he was mainly fighting just to live to see another day, the rest of humanity be damned.

There was no telling whether Aeri picked up on Shinji's uneasiness with the topic of Eva, or whether she was dead serious about getting to know Shinji the person rather than Shinji the pilot. Either way, Shinji was spared having to lie his way through any awkward conversation about working for NERV or how great being an Eva pilot was. Aeri shifted the conversation to subjects much more mundane in comparison, inquiring about his favorite foods, movies, and his favorite color. Shinji found himself feeling all the more comfortable with the new direction of the conversation, allowing him to shed some of the shyness that tended to keep his tongue frequently tied. He even found himself able to laugh a bit and even cracked a couple of bad jokes that Aeri generously chuckled at.

"So, what kind of hobbies do you have Shinji," Aeri asked as the laughter died down. "I'm dying to know what a famous Eva Pilot does in his downtime."

"Hobbies huh?" Shinji trailed off as he thought about it. He didn't have a lot of interests outside his SDAT player that came to mind… He just never really had given it much thought before. "I guess I don't really have any hobbies. I do play the cello, but that's about it…"

"The cello? That's interesting… I'm not trying to disparage you or anything, but that seems kind of like a random instrument for a teenage boy to pick up. How did you get into that?"

"I don't remember exactly… My guardian at the time was pressuring me to pursue an interest outside of school. I always assumed he pushed me into it because that meant he'd have to deal with me even less than he already did. Anyway, I've always been a big fan of classical music, and the cello just seemed to call out to me."

"That's neat… Can't say I could recognize Mozart from Beethoven, but I'd still love to hear you play sometime… I bet the sound of your music is just heavenly…"

Shinji flushed at the compliment, and all at once, found his tongue was trying to clamp up again. "I'm okay I guess…I've had lots of practice. Even Asuka says I play the cello rather well, and if you had any idea how rare it is to receive a compliment from Asuka Soryu, you'd understand what a big deal praise from her really is."

"Really…" Aeri looked off feeling flushed as she debated whether or not she wanted to ask what was on her mind. "Do you mind if I asked you something about Asuka?"

"No… I don't see why not. What's on your mind?"

Despite her initial reluctance, Aeri seemed to have little trouble asking what would prove to be a very *personal* question. "With the two of both being pilots and all, and living together, I would assume a certain level of camaraderie would exist between you two… Asking the other kids around school would tend to lead me to the same conclusion, and would even make me think you two were secretly an item. Yet, when I hear you talk about her, it sounds more like the two of you don't get along at all…"

"That… Might be an understatement… Asuka and I don't get along well at all… I've tried, but Asuka is just completely unwilling to treat me like anything more than a sub-standard human being..."

"What could she possibly have against you?!" Aeri looked aghast that anyone could dislike the pillar of virtue that was Shinji Ikari in her eyes. "You're like one of the nicest people I've ever met!"

"It's hard to put into words really… But I'll try. You know all those reasons you gave when I asked why you like me?"

"You know I do…" Aeri smiled enticingly. "In fact, I'm adding more reasons every day."

Shinji blushed at this, forcing a half stammer in response. "Well, let's just say that Asuka would strongly disagree with you. She thinks I'm a pervert, a coward, and a wimp… She's also quite fond of calling me an idiot… She calls me that more than she uses my actual name."

"Well, that just means she's insecure and jealous!" Aeri huffed, growing increasingly more annoyed with the Second Child with each new piece of information she received about her. "You're none of those things…"

"Actually I am… I was all of those things. My biggest problem with Asuka has always been her pertinence in reminding me of all the things I hate about self… I feel like I am getting better though… Not that Asuka would ever give me credit for it either way."

"Well it must be true, because I certainly don't see any of those things in you…" Aeri assured him, stunning Shinji as she gently placed her hand over the top of his. He may no effort to pull away, opting instead to stare at her awkwardly as the blood rushed to his cheeks. "It sucks that you're stuck living with someone too ignorant to see how amazing you really are… Though in a way, I'm kind of glad though." Aeri's smile became somewhat mischievous. "At least now I know I don't have to view her as competition."

Even naïve Shinji understood what she was implying, as the ever brightening color rushing to his face attested to. "Umm.. Ah… Yeah…"

"Slow down Hikari!" Toji complained as his girlfriend dragged him along behind her. It wasn't that he was unwilling to follow her into hell and back if she so pleased, but he at least would like to have been warned. The couple had barely finished eating their lunch when a bug suddenly crawled up her panties and Hikari decided she needed a change of scenery. Kensuke, who'd been allowed to eat with them for a change, hurried along slightly behind the pair with his camera rolling. The shutterbug had already mentally scripted the tag-line 'Whipped Jock gets dragged across school grounds by domineering class representative'. "Why are you in such a rush?!"

"Because lunch is almost over doofus! If we don't hurry, we'll be rushing back to class before we even get where we're going!"

"All the more reason we should've stayed put! Where are we headed that you're so determined to be?"

"I… I'll explain later, so just help me out okay?! We're almost there…"

Toji opened his mouth to continue complaining when he caught sight of something below, or rather someone, his friend Shinji with his back to him. Now, Toji would never be accused of being a math whiz, but he knew enough about basic arithmetic to make two and two equal four. He abruptly came to a halt, stopping Hikari's momentum as well. So focused on her destination was Hikari, that Toji had to pull her towards him to keep her from falling on her face. "What the heck Toji?! Why did you stop?"

"We're not doing this Hikari… I know why you brought us out here, and we're not spying on Shinji…"

Hikari blushed, stunned at how quickly Toji had figured it out. She hastily tried to drum up a lie, which was never a good idea for her. She was awful at it. While the conscious of most people manifested one angel and one demon upon their shoulders, Hikari had two angels. One standard angel, and another so benevolent and righteous to the point of being a fanatical zealot. For every naughty thought, every urge to do something indecent, it was this angel that obliterated those thoughts into putty while frothing from her mouth as she cackled in maniacal glee. Hikari's standard angel was more than a little freaked out by her ultra-righteous and possibly psychotic counterpart. "It's not like that!... Well, it's not really spying… Shinji was really nervous about his lunch date with Aeri, and I wanted to make sure things were going okay for him…"

Toji's stern look warned Hikari that her boyfriend wasn't buying her story, and that made her a little uneasy. "That's crap, and we both know it. If you were just worried about Shinji, I wouldn't have a problem with this, but we both know that you're looking to spy on him for the sake of that Red-Devil…."

"That's not true! Why would you even think that?!"

"Because Asuka is your best-friend for some reason, and I know you still have it your head that there's something between those two and they're supposed to be together."

"I…" Hikari turned her head away, tilted downward as if ashamed. She was not built for deception anyway, and saw no further point in acting like her boyfriend wasn't right. "Can you blame me for that? I know Asuka, and I know what she really means when she says certain things… I also know she has too much pride to do anything about this…" Hikari looked down at a cozy looking Shinji and Aeri for emphasis.

Toji sighed and gathered himself. Damn did he hate this touchy-feely crap. "Look… I know you're looking out for your *friend*, but so am I. Shinji is a nice if not timid guy, while Asuka is a self-centered, arrogant she-bitch from hell who pisses on him every chance she gets! If devil-girl really did have a thing for Shinji, all she'd have to do is treat him like a human being once in a while." The couple both looked down at Shinji & Aeri, who were noticeably holding hands and sharing hearty laughs together. "Shinji has had so much crap to deal with in his life… He deserves to have something good in his life, don't you think?"

Hikari wasn't sure whether to smile or sigh, so she decided to do both. "You're right, I should just be happy for him shouldn't I? I can't help but worry though… You can't always trust the motives of clingy fan-girls… I just hope Shinji keeps that in mind, and that he gets whatever his hoping to get out of this relationship. I just can't see it lasting…"

"I don't know where he's going with this either, but I know he's getting somewhere," Kensuke said with a smirk, as he peered at the couple from the lens of his camera. "They seem awfully cozy together… Hey!"

"Stop filming them would ya!" Toji growled in annoyance after having ripped Kensuke's precious camera from his hands. He held it slightly out of the otaku's reach as he desperately tried to reach around Toji to get at his prized possession. "Don't you have any respect for anyone's privacy?! When I said we weren't eavesdropping on Shinji, I meant you too!"

"Fine, I get it!" Kensuke grumbled, as Toji finally allowed his spectacled friend to reclaim his precious. "You can be a real party popper sometimes Toji… I'm not even recording right now…"

"Whatever, let's just get out of here… I don't want to get caught halfway across campus when the warning bell rings… We wouldn't want the class-rep here to be tardy and ruin her perfect attendance record would we?"

"Oh horse turds! I hadn't even considered that! What are we waiting for?! Come on Toji, move it!" Hikari grabbed the jock by the wrist and pulled him behind at speeds he had no clue she was even capable of. Kensuke followed behind grinning evilly as he put his camera up to his eye. This time, the red button was flashing.

From a short distance away, Asuka enjoyed her lunch in solitude… Er, or rather enjoyed the solitude while opting not to eat her lunch that afternoon. Shinji still made her lunch every school day, and he still put in the same amount of effort he always had… His boxed meals tasted no different than they had before… Well, she wasn't sure how to classify that incident. It's not like anything had really changed. All that really happened was that, in one rare instance, Asuka finally found the button that made Shinji Ikari lash out at her, and in her ignorance had pressed it gleefully. Somehow, someway, Shinji was succeeding in keeping the promise that he'd made to her… Or was it a promise he had made to himself to no longer emotionally involve himself with her? What did it matter? It's not like it bothered her… Shinji was still the same spineless idiot he had always been…

She wasn't refusing to eat her lunch just to spite that idiot because of his lunch-date with his little fan-girl either, nor did the thought of Shinji eating food that girl prepared for him disgust her to a point that she lost her appetite. She hadn't purposely seated herself in that spot where she just happened to have a perfect view of where Shinji and Aeri were sharing their lunch either… She had simply sat down, and when she turned her head there the idiot and his dumb skank were. Not that she cared at all… Not enough to give up that perfect spot that took her so long to find. So what if the idiots were in spitting distance, that didn't bother her. Their audible giggling didn't bother her either… Nor did the bile rise up in her throat when she saw Aeri put her hand over Shinji's, nor did she feel that brief flash of rage at another woman putting her hands on… Well, you get the point. Asuka wasn't bothered by any of it, she didn't care at all. She cared so little that she barely even noticed the two where there. What they did together mattered little to her, even as she stormed off dropping her uneaten lunch in the first trash receptacle she came across. There was one thing she could admit to feeling though… Maybe it wouldn't be such a bad thing to hope the little fan-skank chocked on a chunk of under-cooked rice.

* * *

The following week inside the Katsuragi house crawled by like a tortoise trying to cross an eight lane highway with three bad legs. It had been an odd tension filled week, inside a household known for tension and good old fashion mayhem. Oddly enough, the last week had been relatively peaceful and quiet… Hellishly quiet, you know that eerie calm that fills the air just before a meteor broadsides your house and the aftermath takes out half of humanity. The Katsuragi house wasn't meant to be quiet. This was just freaking weird.

Oddest thing was, the kids seemed to be respecting what had been asked of them, though of course while taking it the extreme. Asuka and Shinji had been avoiding each other at all costs, almost never making eye contact, any only speaking to each other when absolutely necessary. There was no arguing, no complaints over what was for dinner, nobody accidentally walking in on someone in the bathroom, nobody complaining about the mess the other left behind… There was just quiet. Tediously boring heart-wrenching quiet. Misato would give anything, except for her beer, for someone to throw a German curse word or a frying pan. Anything to get her happy little dysfunctional family back to normal.

That likely wasn't going to happen anytime soon, especially on this particular week. Misato stared at the calendar on the wall, focusing intently on one particular date which marked a rather ominous anniversary. "Only two more days…"

Misato received a welcome distraction in the form of a ringing telephone. "Katsuragi residence, this is Misato speaking…"

A short pause followed before a shy feminine voice finally built up the nerve to speak. "Umm… Hello Ms. Katsuragi… Can I please speak with Asuka?"

"Sure thing Hikari… I have to warn you though… I doubt she's going to be great conversation… She's in an interesting mood to put it best…"

"If she's acting at home the way she's been acting at school, I wouldn't doubt it… I'm afraid I have to take some of the blame for that, and that's why I really need to talk to her.

Misato smiled softly in understanding, and at the concern for Asuka clear in young Hikari's voice. She hoped Asuka would someday realize what a good friend she had in Hikari. "Alright I'll try… Hold on just a moment."

Misato warily approached the lion's den and gently knocked on the wall. "Asuka, you awake?"

The Red-head's reply was prompt and scathing. "What do you want now?!"

"Telephone for you… It's Hikari…"

Asuka's head perked up and she briefly stared at the sliding door before lowering her head back down on her pillow. "I don't want to talk to her… Tell her I'm asleep or something."

"Are you sure? She's really concerned about you Asuka… Please talk to her, even if it's just for a minute." A minute passed and no reply came. Sighing, Misato delivered the news to the anxious girl on the other line. "I'm sorry Hikari, I tried… She's not in the mood to talk, but it's okay… When she gets like this, sometimes it's just better to let her get whatever's got her in that mood out of her system, and she'll back to normal before we know it…"

"I hope so…" Hikari sighed softly, inwardly worried that these particular scars that had been poked here recently were going to need a remedy stronger than time to heal them. "Please ask her to call me as soon as she can… And tell her I'm sorry for what happened the other day... That's all… Bye."

Back in Asuka's room, said girl was now sprawled out on her bed staring somberly at the ceiling, softly whispering to herself. "I don't need anyone… Not stupid Shinji, not even Hikari… I don't need anyone."

To be bluntly honest, Shinji was not enjoying himself. Yes, having Asuka off his back was a plus, but nowhere near the positive he'd expect it to be, and not near enough to make up for the guilt and emptiness he'd been feeling recently. Completely cutting Asuka out of his life was something he'd never wanted to do, but rather something he felt he needed to do in order to gain at least some measure of a healthy life. By no means did he believe Asuka was the primary source of his misery, but having her there to exasperate things was undoing all the good the positives influences were having on his life. The positives being Misato and his friends who continued to make Shinji feel like he was cared for and maybe his existence did serve some purpose. At least before Hurricane Asuka came into his life, and those two colliding forces canceled each other out. Shinji hated that things had to be this way. He didn't hate Asuka, never had, and far from it actually. He would love nothing more than to build some form of positive relationship with the German Pilot, to make her see him as a person who was at least worth showing some common human decency towards. Shinji lacked the capacity to make this happen however, as did Asuka lack the capacity or willingness to ever allow it to happen.

"You're thinking pretty hard there kid…" Misato observed as she shifted her eyes from the newspaper she'd been reading to the young man. Shinji performed a double take at her sudden question as if he'd just realized his guardian was seated across from him at the table. Shinji wasn't even sure when exactly he'd gotten from his bedroom into the kitchen. "Anything you need to get off your chest?"

"No, I'm fine…" Shinji lied, attempting to emotionally distance himself.

"Well, that's good." Misato knew he was lying, but had learned over the years when to and not to push the boy. "Say I wanted to ask you something… Feel free to tell me to mind my own business if I'm being too nosey. Hikari call earlier asking for Asuka, but Asuka refused to talk to her… That was rather strange of her… Hikari is the one person Asuka was always willing to make time for. She also wanted to apologize to her for something that happened the other day, so I'm assuming they had some kind of falling out. You wouldn't have any idea what that might be over do you?"

"How would I know? Maybe Asuka started treating Hikari like she does everybody else…"

"I'm serious Shinji," she said, frowning slightly. "Hikari said she wanted to apologize, so obviously there's something on her end she feels guilty about. Asuka's still shutting me out, so I was hoping maybe you could help me figure this out… I'd hate for Asuka to lose the one real friend she has in this country."

"I don't know what you want me to say… I really don't know," Shinji lied again, his voice getting small. Misato stared at him a moment, before her lips curved into a half-hearted smile. He immediately crumpled under the guilt of fibbing to one of the few people in his life that cared about him unconditionally. In the months following Third Impact, he'd grown to despise lying to her. "It's about me!"

Misato looked puzzled by his sudden outburst. "About you?"

"Yeah… Well, about what happened the other day in the cafeteria… Hikari had a front row seat for it and well… I guess she saw a side of Asuka she wasn't used to seeing, and she didn't like it. Asuka got mad that Hikari didn't immediately take her side because, well what rationally thinking person would?"

"I see… That explains Asuka's attitude towards Hikari lately… She feels betrayed by the one person she thought would always have her back. That makes sense, it feeds in perfectly to Asuka's me against the world mentality."

"How was not agreeing with what Asuka did to me betraying her?" Shinji asked defensively. "It's not like Hikari hasn't tried to patch things up with her… She's tried to apologize several times, but Asuka wouldn't even give her the time of day, like's she suddenly too good to associate with her…"

"Shinji, we've been over this… You know how Asuka is, and how she handles her emotions. Hikari hurt her on some level, so rather than risk allowing Hikari to get close enough to hurt her again, Asuka's thrown another wall up and is hiding behind it. Just like she does with me and with you whenever we start to get too close. It's just like with you when you used to runaway whenever reality became too much for you to handle. For all of Asuka's bluster and bravado, at her core she's still a young girl who's scared of getting hurt."

"I understand that I guess… But it's so hard to try and find sympathy for someone who has no empathy or regard for anyone."

"That's unfair Shinji… She might not show it, but she cares… I just wish I knew how to fix what's wrong with Asuka and Hikari's relationship. If she ever needed a friend, she could sure use one this weekend…You do realize what Saturday is don't you? At least the significance of this date fort Asuka?"

Shinji looked over at the calendar half aware this action would be useless. The date just didn't ring any bells. It certainly wasn't her birthday, that was still months away. "I'm sorry, I don't."

Misato sighed, and nodded her head. "Doesn't really surprise me. I highly doubted she'd give you an exact date. Saturday is a big day for Asuka though… It's the anniversary of the day she found out she was going to be an Eva pilot…"

Shinji's expression was one of recollection, but was otherwise unmoved by this information. He assumed that date would be a big to do for Asuka seeing as she was so proud to be part of the Eva program… Then his eyes went wide and he cursed himself, assaulted by the image of a young Asuka rushing in search of her mother to tell her this amazing news only to find her… Shinji shook the vision from his head. Asuka had never outright told him about her mother's suicide or that she was the one to find her body dangling from the ceiling. It was that damn Instrumentality and the damn lack of respect forced unity held for the privacy of those once individuals swimming around in that LCL soup. "Damn it, no I had no idea…"

"There's no way you could have. Asuka has never been open about that, and with the rift that's developed between the two of you lately, I doubted you would even notice anything's bothering her. Anyway, I know you're trying to keep your distance, but maybe you should make an exception at least for this one day. Asuka doesn't need to be alone."

"Or maybe that's exactly what she needs. Asuka doesn't even like to admit when something is bothering her, let alone does she want someone to make light of it by doing something absurd like trying to comfort her! I wouldn't even know what to say in a situation like that…"

"Who said anything about comforting her? All I'm suggesting is just being there for her. You know, be something else in the room she can focus on other than the memories of what happened to her twelve years ago. Watch a movie, go for a walk... Anything other than strangle each other! I'm not asking you to burst through her door quoting Shakespeare. You forget that I've known Asuka far longer than you have, I know better than anyone there's nothing you can say to take that pain away. I also know that despite the walls she puts up, Asuka hates being alone especially at times like this one."

"We're talking about the same Asuka right?" Shinji asked facetiously. "It sounds like you're trying to get me killed… Besides I've already talked to you about this Misato… I'm not sticking my hand in that fire ever again…"

"That is your right, and I won't force you…" Misato sighed, maintaining a supportive smile. "This would be a good opportunity for you though. Her walls don't come down very often, so when they do that's when you need to smash through them."

Misato couldn't tell if Shinji was contemplating what she was saying or not. She resigned herself to her earlier pledge not to interfere and let the matter go from there. Shinji stared at the wall for another minute or so, before moving his way into the kitchen. Absently, he started mulling through cabinet doors. "Anything in particular you want for dinner tonight?"

* * *

Asuka didn't sleep well that night. Not that sleep ever came easy for Miss. Soryu. Sleep at beast, was a necessary evil and she'd learned to cope with the consequences. Lurking within that non-waking world were memories of a past she could not escape. Visions of events that destroyed her childhood, and fueled her drive to become the person she was today. Whether the latter was a good thing or not was a topic of hot debate. On this night however, her dreams had something else entirely in store for her.

Asuka found herself alone in a field void of anything except for her person and a stiff breeze that jostled the tall grass that stretched as far as the eye could see. The scenery reminded Asuka very much of her home back in Germany. Asuka looked to all sides into a vast landscape of nothing, wondering just where she was and how she'd gotten there. She looked down at her hands, and a chill ran up her spine. She was not looking down at the hands of a sixteen-year-old girl, but rather those of a child no older than five or six. Asuka stiffened as tears started to fill her eyes. This was always how those dreams started… Back when she was a child, and had first learned she'd been chosen to become an Eva Pilot. That girl was so thrilled to tell her mother the grand news, so sure her mother would be proud of her and take notice of her again. Oh, how innocently foolish and naïve that poor child would prove to be. That child opened the door that room, so happy, so filled with hope and promise… That exact moment was when her childhood abruptly ended. She'd found her mother dangling from the ceiling, and next to her from was a smaller noose which strangled the doll that had effectively replaced Asuka after her mother started losing her mind. The worst part of it all was that Asuka had always been certain that if her mother had believed that damnable doll was actually her daughter, then Asuka herself might've been swinging from that ceiling in its place.

No, this wasn't that dream though… Something was different… The setting, to be exact, was off. Through the corner of her eye, little Asuka caught something she hadn't noticed before and her attention was immediately drawn to it. In the middle of the field now sat a sand-box, and inside were two children roughly the same age as Asuka. One boy and one girl, and both were vaguely familiar to her. Her curiosity peaked, her little legs began moving towards the sandbox. As she approached, the other two children took notice and began to wave at Asuka urging her to come join them. Encouraged, Asuka's walk upgraded to a jog. As the images of the two children became clearer, she finally recognized who they were. A young Shinji Ikari and Hikari Horaki. How Asuka knew this she wasn't sure. She hadn't met either of them until she was fourteen, and she certainly hadn't known either one when they were kids. It was undoubtedly them though. Hikari wore her hair in her trademark pigtails, and Shinji had a face that was just unmistakable to her. Even when he smiled, his features radiated this sad and defeated aura that made most everyone that met Shinji want to hug him… Or in Asuka's case, slug him in the face.

"Come on Asuka!" Little Hikari called, waving for her to come over. "Come play with us!"

Asuka moved as fast her legs would carry her, and for a destination that appeared to be so close, it seemed to take her forever to reach that sandbox. A smile of relief appeared on her face as she closed in on her goal, but that grin was wiped clear off as said face smashed into something, bringing the red-head to an abrupt stop. She fell down on her rear, a large red welt now covering most of her face. "What the hell?!"

Asuka reached forward and her hand pressed against an invisible glass-like wall. Hikari and Shinji watched helplessly from the other side of the glass, realizing their friend wouldn't be able to join them. Asuka banged her fists against the glass, looking towards Hikari in particular. "What's going on?! I can't get to you! There's like an invisible wall in my way!"

Hikari and Shinji looked at each other, and then nodded in agreement. They looked solemn as they turned their attention back towards Asuka. Hikari would be the one to speak. "It's sad… I guess this is still the way things are…"

"What do you mean by 'still the way things are'? What's going on?!" Asuka watched on in confusion as her friends seemed to drift into the background without moving. "Where are you guys going?! Don't leave me here by myself!"

"It's not because we want to Asuka," Hikari said, with an empathetic smile on her face. "There's nothing we can do to help you though, if you keep pushing us away…"

"But wait!" Asuka pound on the glass furiously but it was for not. Within seconds, the pair was gone from view. The invisible wall that had impeded her seemed to disappear as Asuka fell forward onto her knees.

"Please don't go…" Asuka sobbed, not even registering that she no longer spoke in the voice of a child, but that of her sixteen year old self. Her body followed suit. "I don't want to be alone…"

"My, my, this is quite a stunning confession. Those words just don't sound quite right coming from those lips…"

Startled by the unfamiliar voice, Asuka scanned the field in vain for the source of the voice that seemed to come for nowhere yet everywhere at the same time. Her dream would take another bizarre turn as the field of green and yellow disappeared, replaced by black endless nothingness. All that remained in the void was Asuka herself and the owner of that strange alien voice as he now appeared to her, hovering just above her head as she stood up. A flowing reddish-brown robe covered his body from head to toe, not unlike the robe of a monk, his hood obscuring his facial features. The only features Asuka could make out on the figures face were a callous smile, and the eerie glow of his eyes which shinned blood red. The color was reminiscent of someone else Asuka knew, which caused the German girl some discomfort.

"I have to say Asuka Langley… I find your dreams quite intriguing… Much more so than that tiresome act you put on while awake. Dare I say that you're… Far more honest in this setting."

"What are you talking about?" Asuka's stunned glared morphed into an angry glower. "And who the hell are you anyway?!"

"Who I am is unimportant… What matters is what I have to offer you…"

Asuka was not expecting this response, as her stunned silence would attest… As temporary as that silence was. "What could you possibly have to offer that would be of any use to me? Why would you even bother?"

"Why? Because I've been watching you Asuka… The path you've chosen to take and the decisions you make along that path, ultimately decide your fate… They intrigue me, but I worry you'll likely derail yourself long before I have a chance to see you reach the end of that path…So much pride… So much beauty… So many self-destructive tendencies… And so much emptiness…"

"I am not empty! I have a college degree to my name! I'm a world-class Eva Pilot! I'm the hottest girl in my grade! People respect and adore me! I've accomplished more in my life before 18 than most everyone else I know will accomplish in their lifetimes put together!"

"All very true… I simply wish to see you reach your full potential… And to accomplish that, I have a proposition for you." Before the cloaked figure could make Asuka his offer, he stared off as if looking off at something far in the distance. "On second thought, my proposal may have to wait. It appears we're out of time."

"Out of… What are you?…"

Those words stuck in her mouth, Asuka bolted upright in her bed panting lightly. She was surprised to find herself awake. That dream was vividly real… And that was saying something for a girl who'd been forced to relive her traumatic past almost every night for the last twelve years. That dream had her feeling more like she'd just walked out of a very heated conversation and into the next room, rather than travel from her dreamscape into the waking world. She didn't have time to dwell on the meaning of all this though, once she took a look over at her alarm clock. It was twenty minutes past the time she typical pulled herself out of bed on a school day. She wasn't anywhere near the point where she risked being late for school, but if she wanted to get in a decent breakfast, as well as her meticulous morning primping ritual, her butt needed to get into motion.

"I overslept! Why didn't anyone wake me?!" Asuka growled and she threw her uniform on, showing off her bra for any stupid baka to look over and see. Luckily for Shinji, he was too engrossed in his breakfast of oatmeal and orange to notice, so Asuka never really gave her inadvertent peep show a second thought. What did give her pause was the odd scene waiting on her in the kitchen, and the distinct lack of mouth-watering aromas coming out of the kitchen. Her two housemates, both who had neglected to check and see why she wasn't awake yet, sat at the table completely ignoring the irate red-head's question. Shinji held his, all too obviously forced, attention onto his pedestrian meal. Misato was at the head of the table with a beer in one hand, and a cup of coffee on the table, the pot within arm's reach as well. That expression on her face was the now famous Katsuragi, I had too much to drink and stayed up too late last night, only to have to get up way too early the next morning, so now don't talk to me until I've had at least two beers and three pints of coffee. Choosing to ignore her guardian, Asuka's wrath focused in on the house cook. "What's going on? Where's breakfast?"

"In the cabinet," Shinji replied bluntly. "Or in the fridge, or on top of it." Shinji pointed towards a box of Honey Nut Cheerios to emphasis his point.

Asuka did not appear amused. "You expect me to eat cold cereal for breakfast?!"

"I don't expect you to do anything… Though it wouldn't kill you. With all the sausage and German food you eat, some whole grain would do you some good."

Asuka snarled, fully expecting Shinji to cower beneath her will. He did no such thing, and continued to eat his oatmeal even as the red-head tried to burn a hole deep into his skull. Finally, Asuka just had enough of the entire exchange. "Whatever! I'm going to get ready for school, since I'm already behind thanks to the two of you!"

"She oversleeps and it's our fault…" He looked at Misato who shrugged her shoulders in response. She was still two cups of coffee, and a half can of beer short of caring.

End Chapter 3

 **-The next chapter will focus on a dubious anniversary for Asuka, and Shinji is going to get sucked into it despite his repeated promises to himself not to. May heaven have mercy on his soul.**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

It was zero hour in the Katsuragi household… Misato had even made sure to take the night off on this dubious anniversary for Asuka, just in case… It wasn't like anything much ever really happened when the calendar flipped to this date every year. In truth, her roommates barely saw much of Asuka on that date as she scarcely left her room. Today was no exception, yet still, Misato and Shinji sat at the dining table, both casting an anxious eye in the direction of Asuka's room. Shinji looked over at the clock on the microwave, which read 6:00pm. He sighed and looked up at his guardian, terrified at the prospect of this journey ahead of him.

"Well, I suppose I've been putting this off long enough… If Asuka does kill me, please tell Rei I went down fighting."

"You'll be fine," Misato smiled proudly at her young ward. "It's really kind of you, what you're doing Shinji. Asuka might not show it outwardly, but she will appreciate the effort, I promise you that."

"Well, they do say nice guys finish last… Or in this case, get mauled and then have all his organs removed for fun…"

"Only six more hours, just six more hours…" Asuka rambled with urgency, deepening each breath to calm herself. Bringing her knees to her chin, she continued the battle her emotions and sanity were waging with her pride. Only six more hours and this horrid, horrid day would be over with. She despised herself when she got like this. She was supposed to be strong, the girl who could look the impending Angel Apocalypse in the face with stunning indifference. Yes, stumbling upon your lunatic mother's suicide would've been traumatic for anybody, but it had been over a decade! She should be passed this, yet the thought of that woman, and that night, still had the power to reduce her to a blubbering infant. Worst of all, it made the girl who cherished her independence, who had no need for any connection to another human soul, wish up to the heavens that she wouldn't have to spend this horrid night alone.

Asuka was vaguely aware of a gentle knock at her bedroom door, as it took a few seconds for the noise to register. Asuka ignored the knock, not caring to interact with whoever it was on the other end. Either the drunk or the idiot, who'd offer some asinine attempt to pry her from her room, only to immediately give up once she turns them away, having felt their obligation to at least try had been satisfied. Another knock on her door, oh the hag was persistent, she'd give Misato that. Asuka ignored the second knock and the third, and she'd stay silent until the unwelcome guest got the message.

"Asuka, I'm coming in." The voice on the other side of the door surprised her. Not because he rebuffed her cold shoulder, but because it was Shinji's voice that was defying her. Stunned, she looked briefly at the door until it slid open, and quickly returned her chin to her knees. She could hear the door slide close, and apparently Shinji's courage had dried up by this point as he said nothing. A minute passed before he finally remembered how to use his jaw muscles. "Asuka…"

"I didn't tell you, you could come in Third…" She snarled, not looking over at him.

Shinji paused briefly. "You didn't tell me I couldn't either…"

"It was implied, though I'm not surprised an idiot like you couldn't pick up on that… Now get out!"

"No…"

This time, Asuka's head snapped around violently to glare at this defiant little stooge. To no surprise, a new and improved ten-foot-tall Shinji with balls dragging across the floor was not standing in the Third Child's place. It was the same scrawny, sniveling little wimp looking as unsure of himself as ever, holding some sort of box underneath his arm. "Have you gone completely soft in the head Third? I said get the fuck out!"

"No, I'm not leaving," he repeated firmly, though his features showed zero confidence. "Today is… Not a day that you should be alone…"

Asuka stared at him momentarily in disbelief before jumping off her bed and stalking towards her indigent fellow pilot. Somehow, Shinji held his ground even with Asuka's face just inches from his as if she thought her condemning stare would be enough to shrink him down to the size of a ferret and send him sulking out the door begging for forgiveness. Because well… That's usually exactly what would happen, besides actually transforming into a ferret, but not this time. "Come again, I don't think I heard you right! Is the invincible Shinji Ikari trying to tell me what *I* need? The only thing I need is your ugly face out of mine! I'm going to warn you one last time… Get the fuck out of my room, or I'll throw your ass out! Even if it's through the damn wall!"

"Then go ahead and do it…" Shinji said calmly, though couldn't bring himself to make eye contact. "Today of all days, you shouldn't have to spend it alone… Lord knows if I had…"

Shinji didn't get to finish that though, as Asuka grabbed him roughly by the color of his shirt, and slammed him against the wall. It didn't hurt, but most certainly caught his attention. The look on her face kept up with what was really the state of her entire being. The snarl on her face conveyed pure hot hate, yet her eyes were puffy and red. He could feel her arm shake, forcing Asuka's grip to be nowhere near as strong as Shinji knew she was capable of. He hadn't seen this version of Asuka in a long time… Not since a fateful encounter with an Angel that nearly destroyed her mind. "Bastard… Don't you dare pity me! If the likes of someone as pathetic as you starts looking down on me, than that means I really have nothing left… I don't need your sympathy or you thinking you're going to swoop in and rescue me… Not form my past, not from the Angels, not from anything!"

"Damn it, I'm not trying to save you from any of that! I'm not here trying to pity you! Why is it that anytime anyone tries to reach out to you, you have to look at it like it's something negative! Does it even cross your mind that we're trying to help you because we care about you!"

Shinji's overly bold response earned him a punch in the face. Shinji hit the ground, and his hand immediately went up to his jaw. He could taste the blood in his mouth. He looked up and Asuka who still towered over him, fuming as hot as ever. "Who the hell are you to talk about anyone caring about me… You don't give a damn about me! You said so yourself, you're finished with me remember!"

"Yes I did, and I meant it at the time… But like you always say, I'm an idiot…" Shinji said softly, mostly becomes of his sore jaw as he stood. He put himself back in the line of fire, face-to-face with Asuka. "As much as you drive me crazy, as much as I was certain walking through your bedroom door was going to get me punched in the face or worse…I just couldn't stand the sight or the thought of you in pain… And dealing with it all by yourself while I was in the next room. You never open the door to anyone, so I decided just this once I was coming inside whether you liked it or not…"

"There's a reason that door stays closed Third…" she said, staring at the floor. This time it was she who found herself unable to meet Shinji's eyes. "It's because I don't want anyone coming through that door! I don't need anybody! Never have, never will, and I don't want anybody! Even if I did want some company tonight, you're sorry ass would be one of the last people I'd want to suffer through this night with! As if I wasn't being tortured enough!"

A twinge of hurt flashed in his eyes, but otherwise he remained determined. "Well, like it or not… I'm the best you got, and I'm not going anywhere."

"Get out…" the red-head growled, still staring at the floor. Her eyes, now red and wet finally met his. "Get out, get out, get out, GET OUT!"

Asuka tried to shove Shinji towards the door, but the boy dug in someone managed to hold the ragging German off. "Asuka calm down!" Shinji managed to spin her around and throw his arms around her, pinning Asuka's arms to her chest. "I'm not leaving you, not this time… Just calm down."

Shinji wasn't sure why, but surprisingly Asuka complied as he felt her go limp in his arms as she ceased her struggling. Shinji wondered how seriously Asuka actually was about fending him off, as he figured she'd put up a much more furious fight than she had. Shinji loosened his grip on her as he felt her body calm. He himself was shocked by how calm he felt, unafraid and completely focused on the girl in his arms. Asuka sniffled and he heard her sob softly. "I hate you Shinji… Why couldn't you just let me be alone… Why?"

Shinji didn't respond, nor did Asuka repeat the question. Both were inwardly thankful for the other's inaction. Shinji quietly continued to stand there, arms wrapped around though he loosened his grip once he was confident she was done trying to pull away from him. Asuka feel limp into his arms almost melting into him really, as he held her in the exact way she'd always secretly wished he would. When she needed him the most… And she hated him for it. She hated him for barging into her room and refusing to leave. She despised him for seeing through all the smoke she was blowing. She hated his embrace for feeling so damn warm and comforting… More than anything she hated herself and her sudden lack of interest in breaking free from her captor. Where was the strong independent Asuka Langley Soryu now? Certainly not this girl, the near blubbering mess leaning for support onto the certified wimp known as Shinji Ikari. She absolutely hated, that at least for the moment, she could've cared less where that girl ran off too.

Minutes passed by quietly. Shinji eventually sat down on the bed pulling Asuka with him, though even if he hadn't she would've mindless followed anyhow. More minutes ticked off the clock in silence, with the exception of Shinji's heart which started to race just a little when he felt Asuka's hand partially cover one of his. Whether she did so subconsciously or not, he wasn't about to complain or make light of it. Suddenly, Asuka broke unofficial vow of silence between them. "You know what today is right?"

Shinji was surprised to hear her speak, or rather the way she spoke. Her voice was soft and fragile, unlike he'd ever really heard her speak before. "Yes… Twelve years ago today, you became an Eva pilot… And would eventually go on to become the greatest Eva pilot to ever be loaded into an entry plug.

Though surprised by his answer, she couldn't fend off the small smile that formed because of it, appreciating what he was trying to do. "You saw it right… What happened that day? You saw it during instrumentality didn't you?"

"Parts of it…" Shinji admitted reluctantly. "Enough to get the gist of it… For a supposed paradise, Instrumentality had a way of throwing people's worst possible memories at you…"

Asuka nodded in agreement as she recalled a flash she'd seen of Shinji's past… The image of a crying little boy as his heartless monster of father essentially walked out of his life without so much as a backward glance at him. Asuka wouldn't dare admit this to Shinji, but that image was one of the few times Asuka ever felt legitimate sympathy for someone. "My mother had been sick for a long time… Sick in the head, ever since and accident during the developmental stages of Eva… Though from what I've heard, she may have even been unstable before then…"

"Asuka… You don't have to talk about this if you don't want to..," Shinji tried to interrupt before the girl said something she'd later regret. His goal was to hopefully distract Asuka from these memories not rehash them.

Asuka ignored Shinji and continued with her story. "As my mother's illness worsened, she became more and more distant from me… After a while she stopped looking at me as her daughter at all… She had this damn doll, and started to treat the thing like it was her child! Like it was me… She even called it Asuka!"

She sobbed hard, and Shinji wanted to stop her again to spare himself more than anything, but resisted the urge. Asuka obviously felt she needed to share this story with someone, and he felt cautiously honored that she was choosing him though limited her options were admittedly. "I did everything I could to get her attention… To get her to love me again, to see I was worthy of being her daughter… But no, I couldn't complete with that damn doll for the affection of a crazy women… That's why I despise the First Child so much… She reminds me so much of a damn doll! Those lifeless eyes, no ambition or will of her own… Just mindlessly carrying out her orders like someone was pulling the strings on a puppet, for the sole purpose that she wanted to please your bastard of a father! Stupid me thought if I was accepted into the Evangelion program that Mother would be proud of me, finally notice me again. I was in such a hurry to tell her the news that I raced to her lab, and when I opened the door… That's when I found her… Them actually, dangling from the ceiling. She'd hung herself, but not before stringing up that precious doll of hers so she could die with her… The doll she thought was me! If mama hadn't completely lost her mind, then would that have been me hanging next to her? Was I so unimportant that I wasn't worth living for!"

Asuka's hand reached up to her face as she totally lost it. She curled into a ball, as Shinji contorted with her, resting his chin on the back of her head. Shinji continued to say nothing and resisted every natural urge a person has when faced with a situation where you want desperately to help take someone's pain away. Coddling Asuka like a child would've been a great way to completely turn this situation south on him in a hurry. Simply being there for her he hoped would be enough. Shinji was nowhere near the idiot Asuka gave him credit for. The red-head's outburst didn't last long as she hurriedly got herself under control. She'd shown enough weakness in front of Shinji as it was. A partially opened box on the floor near the bed caught her eye, the one Shinji had been holding underneath his arm when he first barged into her room. "What is that?"

Shinji was puzzled by the vague question, until he followed her eyes towards the box on the ground. "Oh, it's a Shogi board…"

"Shogi!" Asuka frowned. "Why the hell would you bring that with you?!"

"I don't know…" Shinji somewhat reluctantly released the young women as to retrieve his game. Asuka shivered feeling suddenly cold for some reason, but was still thankful to be free of those restraints she could've broken free from whenever she damn pleased. "It was just an idea… You know to pass the time. I heard from Kaji that he taught you how to play."

"Yeah we played on occasion," Asuka admitted, still frowning. Shinji sensed Asuka wasn't keen on his choice of game, which was saying something since it was so difficult to tell when Asuka didn't like something.

"What's wrong? Don't like Shogi? We don't have to play, like I said it was just a suggestion," he said with a small smile, trying to ensure her he didn't really care either way.

"It's not that…" Asuka turned away, slightly red and for some reason feeling too embarrassed to look him in the face at the moment. "I just don't understand what is so wrong with regular chess that the Japanese have to play their own version of it…" This was actually a common concern for Asuka. Despite all her complaining and non-stop boasting about hoe great her native country of Germany was, she did not hate Japan. Not at all in fact, as she had a lot of respect for the technical and academic prowess of the Japanese. As a westerner though she couldn't understand why so many Japanese held on so stubbornly to outdated traditions. Like why they all wrote in that accursed Kanji instead of using a normal written language like most of the civilized world, why all five food groups seemed to include fish and rice, and why they fiddled which chopsticks instead using a fork and spoon like sane people.

"I wouldn't know to be perfectly honest…" Shinji's ignorance was genuine, but with Asuka's vast education she probably should've seen the answer to her own complaints were obvious. Japan had become such a technologically advanced country over the past one-hundred years that it's easy to forget that for centuries Japan was a closed country, a closed country of islands in fact. Little in the way of Western influences ever made it to the land of the rising sun, allowing their culture to remain largely intact even after second and now third impact.

"So, do you want to play?…" Shinji smirked slyly as he held a Shogi tile marked as a 'King' between his fingers. "Or are you afraid you'll lose to me and you'll never be able to live down the humiliation?"

"Huh, like I'd ever lose anything to you Third!" Asuka humped, as a competitive smile snuck onto her lips. "I suppose I have time to embarrass you."

Asuka watched carefully as Shinji set up the Shogi board on her desk, watching Shinji more closely that what the boy was doing. "Where did you learn to play this game anyway?" She was legitimately interested. She'd never known Shinji to have played before, and well if he had played Shogi before, then he would've had to have had someone to play with. Shinji struck Asuka as a 'Solitaire' type of guy. That wasn't really an insult, just a reasonable observation.

"My father's teacher, the one I lived with for a while, taught me… He was a nice old man, and I was well taken care of, but once my basic needs were met, he was done. He made sure I stayed alive, but other than that he never even pretended he was interested in being any sort of parent to me. The only time we really talked was while we played Shogi… Shinji stared at one of his Golden General tiles as reminisced. I guess this game was his way of at least trying to relate to me on some level… Too bad that I never got good enough to put up a decent challenge, so even this went away after a while… For the last couple of years before father ordered me to Tokyo-3, I was merely there and nothing else."

Asuka stared at the board as Shinji continued to place tiles, not wanting to see the look of sad reflection in his eyes. She hated it when Shinji said things that reminded her of how similar their childhoods actually were on some levels. "Just hurry up, so I can kick you but on this chess board and then preferably out of my room."

 _(Two games later)_

"Damn it, you cheated!" Asuka growled as her King bit the dust. Shinji had now defeated her twice and in relatively easy fashion.

"I thought you knew how to play this game," Shinji mocked, resting his hand under his chin as if he were bored.

"I do know how to play! It's just been a while… And if this was regular chess I would've destroyed you!"

In fact, it was obvious Asuka was rusty, and she couldn't quite remember some of the less common rules of the game. He'd even caught her on two occasions trying to perform a regular chess move that didn't exist in this game. "We're not playing chess though, we're playing Shogi… Of course if you're having too much trouble we can always quit…"

"Hell no! We're not stopping until I bury you! Now hurry up and reset the board! Once I get the hang of this, you're a dead man Third!"

Shinji smirked, drawing more mirth from his German companion. He complied and quickly reset the game pieces. "I'm going first!" Asuka declared, as she moved one of her pieces two spaces forward.

"Um, you can't do that Asuka, this isn't regular chess…"

"Fine, damn it!"

Asuka's threat that she was going to get used to playing the game again came true halfway through round three, and she managed to topple her rival. It didn't hurt that Shinji backed off, and more or less let her win that one. He was there for her after all, and even her triumphant boasting seemed cute one this occasion. Now the next two games… Well, Asuka destroyed him fair and square, and her boasting was now as it usually was, annoying and excessive.

"I warned you Third! You shouldn't wage battles of the mind with someone so vastly superior to yourself."

"Yeah, yeah… You beat me at a game I haven't played in six years, congratulations…"

"Oh poor Ikari… Don't cry now, you should be accustomed to failure by now."

"I'm used to hearing about it mercilessly, that's for sure…" Shinji tried to stifle a yawn, but failed miserably. "Damn, I'm sleepy all of the sudden… What time is it anyway?"

"Well you see, there's this thing they invented decades ago called a clock. Try looking at one instead of asking me stupid." Asuka said with disinterest, her chin propped up above her fist.

Shinji ignored the comment and took a peak over at the digital alarm clock that rested on her desk. Though feigning disinterest in the boy, she clearly noticed his eyes widen. "What? What's the problem? It can't be that late."

Asuka looked over at the clock herself, and frowned… 12:04am. Late but not horribly so, especially for teens of their age. She was about to admonished Shinji again for his glaring stupidity, when the significance of the time on that clock registered with her, leaving her jaw hanging open. Shinji couldn't help but smile. "Congratulations Asuka… It's officially a new day."

Asuka released a massive sigh as if it had been building up all night. The passage of time was strange and fickle thing. It was amazing the difference a couple of ticks of the clock could make. It was particularly amazing everything that could happen during that last lingering second between 11:59pm and 12:00am. It could signify a new month, suddenly make you a year older, commemorate the beginning for a new decade or even a century, and even turn Mogwai's into Gremlins if not feed properly. In Asuka's case it could make someone go from completely miserable to well… Find some level of peace of mind is what Asuka would've summed it up as. She had completely lost track of time and couldn't help but smile at the thought, a smile partially directed towards the boy seated across from her. She damn sure wasn't going to let him know that though. Apparently, Shinji wasn't such a failure after all, at least when it came down to what really mattered this time…

This time, it was Asuka that yawned suddenly feeling extremely tired and beaten down. She could barely keep her eyes open in fact. Finding the idea of a good night sleep appealing himself, Shinji took their abrupt drowsiness as his queue that it was probably time to cut his losses and run. He forced another yawn and stretched his way up to his feet. "I'm beat… I think I'm going to call it a night… I had fun Asuka, thanks for putting up with me."

The smile that Shinji wore easily turned Asuka red-faced, but she was too tired to make him pay for that. "Yeah…" Asuka said but to what Shinji had no idea, but he completely missed the thoughtful look on the girls face. Shinji turned to leave when he felt a firm hand clasp around his forearm. "Wait… You don't have to leave if you don't want to…"

"We're both exhausted Asuka… I know we don't have school tomorrow, but we both could really use some rest… Especially you after tonight…"

"That's not what I mean!" Asuka yelped in annoyance. "What I'm trying to say is that you can sleep here tonight if you want to…" Asuka turned red at the shocked look on Shinji's face and recognized her poor choice of words. "I mean on the floor! Not sleep with me, and you better get the thought of trying anything with me tonight out of that perverted little head of yours."

"Oh…" Shinji chuckled feeling relieved… Sort of. "I guess I'm fine with that, but are you sure?"

"I wouldn't have offered if I wasn't sure!" Trying to look agitated, Asuka refused to look up at Shinji's face deciding to instead look off to the side. She didn't want to have to say aloud that she didn't want to be alone that night, even if the anniversary of her mother's suicide had technically come and gone. She hoped the fog in Shinji's head would clear just long enough that he'd pick up on this.

"Alright, I understand… Just let me get by pillow and blanket and I'll camp out on the floor." Shinji gave her a soft smile as she released his wrist. For one reason or another, Asuka just couldn't allow Shinji to get in the last word.

"Remember, no funny ideas! I'm letting you stay in my room tonight as a courtesy, since you're just *sooo* worried about me."

Shinji simply smiled through her sarcastic tone. "Of course… What else could it be?" Shinji hadn't meant for this to sound sarcastic or condescending, but it had that effect on Asuka. She didn't comment on it, she only blushed again as Shinji disappeared from her room. She frowned over her discolored facial features. Since when had Stupid Shinji had the ability to make her blush at will?

By the time Shinji arrived back in Asuka's room, his German roommate was already snug under her covers with her back to him as if she was already nodding off to sleep. Shinji wasn't quite sure why this surprised him, for acting as if waiting for him was a tedious task far beneath her wasn't exactly a brand spanking new move of hers. As Shinji quietly went about making his palette on the floor, the girl he was trying not to wake wasn't even in the general area of sleep. Her eyes were half-open as she listened wondering what was going to happen. What would Shinji say or do if anything, or like the typical baka he was, would he just accept the idea that she was asleep and leave it at that. The latter is exactly what happened.

As tired as he was, Shinji Ikari was further away from sleep than Asuka. The idea of whose bedroom he was in, and knowing who was snoozing just feet away from him conspired to ensure he stayed good and awake. Shinji wasn't the pervert Asuka gave him credit for, but he was still a guy… A teenage guy for that matter, so naturally he was going to have certain thoughts. Nothing he was going to act on or believed for one second would ever happen, but the thoughts were in his head none the less. Other than that, he just didn't feel right being there… He felt that every second he stayed in Asuka's room, he was doing something wrong. He was determined to stay though because she wanted him too… Asuka could claim she was letting Shinji spend the night with her as a favor to him, but Shinji had gotten smart enough to see past that song and dance. After twenty minutes of restless twitching, Shinji's resolve was threatening to break, until the other equally restless person in the room spoke up. "Shinji…You still awake?"

"Barely but yeah," He exaggerated.

"Listen… Don't get the wrong idea or anything, because it's not like I needed someone holding my hand to get me through the night!... Still… Thank you… It did feel good not having to spend the evening alone…"

"No problem," he replied shyly. He might've smiled if he wasn't so shocked… Did Asuka just thank him?! The thought emboldened him. "Thank you for allowing me to sleep on the floor… You know, so I wouldn't have to worry about you and all."

"It's fine…" Asuka said dispassionately. "I'm nothing if I'm not generous."

Shinji smirked at the notion of Asuka's generous side. The tension he had felt earlier in the night all but disappeared, allowing him to relax. It wasn't long before he drifted off to sleep. His roommate wasn't having as easy of a time. She tossed and turned as an hour passed while Shinji snoozed peacefully on the floor to her left. She wasn't restless, but her mind was racing. Even the far most exhausted body would find sleep elusive when your head just refuses to shut up. The dreaded anniversary was over, but some of those memories were still there… They still hurt. Asuka hated to admit it, but for some reason, Shinji's presence had a calming effect on her, or at least that evening he sure did. It was that very fact that set her mind to racing, though admit it or not, that effect on her wasn't new. No one could frustrate, irate, or intrigue more than her fellow Eva pilot and that made no sense whatsoever. Shinji should be an easy person to figure out. Spineless, anti-social wimp with daddy issues… Those few words should sum him up perfectly, but then there were times like this when he goes off the script completely. When he beats her sync score, when he single handedly takes out an Angel, when he caused and then subsequently halted Instrumentality. Little more than a week ago he had told her to fuck off, and today he barged into her room, took her best right hook, and still refused to leave. Now he was sleeping on her floor leaving Asuka at loos to explain how things had come to this. Everything she knew about Shinji told her he should've crawled away whimpering the first time she glared at him after entering her room. This both frustrated her, and filled her with a small sense of something oddly akin to hope… A Strange combination, but Asuka was a strange girl.

For once in his life, Shinji Ikari had done everything right. He'd provided Asuka everything she'd needed without overstepping his bounds, getting on her bad-side or under appreciating the situation she was in. He didn't coddle or baby her, and never once mentioned that forbidden incident that had put Asuka in that fragile state of mind every year around this time. He was simply there for her when she needed him to be there… Just like she had always wanted somebody to be.

As he looked down at his sleeping form, she was vaguely aware of the small smile forming over her lips. The tension she had been feeling faded, replaced by a rare and valued sensation of warmth that was hard to describe. Her mind slowed to a crawl as sleep finally came to her.

"Idiot…" she whispered fondly seconds before drifting off to sleep. The nightmares stayed away on this night, replaced by dreams of a certain brown-haired boy, though she'd never admit to having them and no one could ever prove that she had.

"You seem quite contented this evening… What, dare I ask, is different?"

Asuka's eyes snapped open, and she quickly realized she was no longer in her room… She was back in that void she'd visited in her sleep the other night, the same bizarre hooded figure hovering just above her head. She had chalked the experience up as simply what it was, an extremely peculiar dream, and didn't think much of it the next day… Or course, she had a hundred other things on her mind that morning, the most glaring of these being her looming anniversary the very next day. Even if this hadn't been the case though, she wouldn't have given that strange dream a second thought. Now, here she was the very next night in the exact same setting… Well, she wasn't impressed yet. She did have some experience dealing with reoccurring dreams to say the least.

"You again?... Don't tell me I'm going to be stuck seeing you in my dreams every night now…"

"Only so long as I'm needed. We did not get the chance to finish our conversation from the other night, so I returned to you this evening…" Asuka couldn't quite see the figure's smirk, his features darkened by his hood. "Though it appears I may have interrupted something… Is now a bad time?"

"Interrupted?" Asuka's eyebrow cocked in confusion, and then she remembered something… Or rather someone, the person sleeping on the floor in her room. Asuka's cheeks flushed red, as she suddenly felt violated for some reason… "You mean Shinji… How did you know that?! It's not even what you probably think you pervert!"

"It matters not what I think… In fact, it's probably better if you ignore any preconceived notions you might have of how I interpret your situation… I don't want those feelings to influence your response when I ask you this… How did it feel? To have him near you tonight… To have things go the way they did without allowing things like pride, insecurities, and general awkwardness to drive you apart?"

Asuka's face flushed again, and she couldn't respond right way. She wasn't prepared for such a personal question from this strange figure in her dream. Then she remembered, this was just some stupid dream, and thus she treated this figment of it accordingly. "I don't even know what the hell you're talking about! First of all, I'm not insecure about a damn thing, and I'm sure as hell not awkward!"

"Naturally, you miss the point almost entirely…" The figure nearly laughed, almost sounding gleeful at this observation. "Certainty, it must've been refreshing to see Shinji act more like the type of man you want him to be… At the very least, it must've felt good not to go to bed angry or disappointed as you have so many nights before, especially considering what this evening meant for you…"

"What are you getting at?" She asked, sounding defensive. "You really think one night means anything? The baka will go right back to being the mindless Imp he's always been! One night of coming off as tolerable to be around doesn't make up for years of idiocy!"

"Indeed."

Asuka couldn't decide if this guy was being sarcastic or just smug. Either way, he was starting to piss her off. "What the hell do you want exactly anyway?!"

"The same thing I wanted the last we time we spoke… I had a proposition to propose to you, before you awoke and cut our conversation short."

"Forget it, I don't want to hear it! It's not like anything you say actually matters! This is just a damn dream…"

"Are you certain about that? I'm betting you're smart enough to tell there's a difference between your usual dreams, and what you're experiencing now."

Asuka's head perked up, as she looked up at the hooded figure questioningly. She had felt that something was… Different about this dream, but then all dreams didn't always have the same feel. "Fine, I'll play along! Just tell me what you want! Better yet, tell me why exactly you're bothering me?!"

"Bothering you…" The figure looked thoughtful as he hovered there. "I came to you, because you called out to me…" Asuka's face contorted as if this was the dumbest thing she'd ever heard in her life. Her expression only seemed to amuse the hooded figure more than he already was. "I see I need to elaborate… During your dream the other night, as you watched you friends drift away, you cried out that you didn't want to be alone… You cried out, and I responded. That's what I want to help you with Asuka Langley… I want to help you overcome that emptiness inside of you that causes you to push the people you love away. If possible, my wish is to pull you back into the light and away from your self-forced decent into darkness… I can't promise miracles, but whatever is in my power, I have come to offer it to you…"

Asuka was speechless again… Momentarily, until she literally shook the shock off before snarling at this pretentious little dream baka. "I don't cry out for help to anyone! There is no emptiness inside me, and if there was, I'm perfectly capable of overcoming it myself! I don't need help from anyone, let alone from whoever the hell you think you are! I happen to prefer being on my own! I've always been alone, and I'll always stand on my own! If you don't like it, you can go back to hell, where you came from, and burn!"

Asuka turned her back to the figure as if she was going to storm off, and then remembered she really had nowhere to go. To save face though, she kept her back to the hooded man. The figure simple smiled as he adjusted his cowl. "I expected as much from you Asuka… If you change your mind though… You know where to find me."

Asuka opened her mouth to speak, but the cloaked figure was gone before the words escaped her lips. Asuka looked around for him for maybe a second before she awoke with a start, and found herself in her bed. Panting softly, she surveyed the room and was eventually satisfied she was indeed still in her bedroom. The sound of slightly heavy breathing prompted her to look over the side of her bed where she found Shinji still sleeping comfortable. Asuka watched him for half-a-minute before starring forward at the wall. That dream was weird as hell… No sense in getting worked up over it, she guessed. She'd had far worse after all, and though she'd never admit it out loud, it helped to have Shinji there with her, only an arm's length away if she needed him… It didn't take long at all, and she was fast asleep.

Shinji Ikari's eyes fluttered open to the sight of an unfamiliar ceiling… No wait that was a wall… Definitely a wall. There was also an unfamiliar pressure around his abdomen. Confused he reached down and discovered said pressure was an arm… An arm that was quite slender… And did not belong to him… Oh shit…

Remembering where he had spent the night, Shinji put two and two together. A roll of his eye to side and catching a glimpse of a few strands of red-hair verified his predicament. Sometime during the night, Asuka decided her bed was too comfortable and joined him on the floor. This wasn't a new occurrence by any stretch. Shinji had experienced several of Asuka's sleep-walking incidents in the past that ended with Asuka finding her way back to his bed instead of her own. This was the first time, however, he had awoken to Asuka spooning him. As much as he might've enjoyed laying there in the German girl's arms, and he would have, he didn't feel the sensation was worth dying for. Death was likely exactly what would come to him if Asuka awoke and Shinji was found anywhere within touching distance. The sun pouring in from the window singled morning anyway. Shinji carefully pried himself free of Asuka's grasp and miraculously manage not to wake her up. He immediately started debating what he should make for breakfast.

Asuka awoke some time later to the feel of a distinct lack of comfort in her lower back. As her eyes fluttered open she realized that lack of comfort stemmed from the lack of a bed beneath her. Her eyes shot open and she sat up, quickly wondering how the heck she wound up sleeping on the floor… Better question, why the hell was she underneath Shinji's sheets and using his pillows? She checked herself just to make sure her night clothes were still in their proper places, which was more than likely a pointless task. If Shinji had somehow defiled her during the night, she'd more than likely remember him trying something, and then her subsequent murder of him afterwards. Hey, here was an even better question. Where the hell had Shinji gotten off to? He must've gone at some point during the night… Yet his pillow and sheets where still there… The answer concerning Shinji's whereabouts were answered when Asuka caught the scent of something heavenly coming from the kitchen… "Smells like pancakes…"

Pancakes it was indeed. Flapjacks weren't a task Shinji took on very often, however when he walked into the kitchen that morning the decision sort of made itself. Last night had gone incredibly well, and Shinji decided trying to earn a few extra brownie points wouldn't hurt the situation at all. What he hadn't realized yet, was that said girl was quietly watching him work, arms crossed as she rested a shoulder against the wall. She hadn't quite decided how she wanted to approach him yet. Whether she wanted to question him about how she wound up on the floor, set the record straight regarding the events of the previous night, or just press on that morning as if nothing had happened, continuing life as if everything was business as usual. Maybe all three, she didn't know yet. Anyhow, she decided to break the ice the best why she knew how. She insulted him.

"The last time you made pancakes, they tasted like rubber."

Caught by surprise, the pancake Shinji was working on nearly found its way onto the ceiling. He quickly composed himself and replied calmly. There was essentially no venom present in her voice, so Shinji saw no reason to get offended. "I think I know where I went wrong last time… I promise they'll taste a lot better this time."

"Of course… The invincible Shinji Ikari hasn't met a meal that was a match for him."

Shinji couldn't tell if she was teasing him or being sarcastic. To be safe, he chose a neutral response, smiling half-heartedly then quickly turning his focus to the task at him. He was curious to see how Asuka would act around him that morning. Well maybe not curious, scared as hell would've been the proper way to put it. He was primarily afraid Asuka would be angry with him, for what reason though he couldn't tell you. It didn't seem to matter as she always seemed to find a reason to be pissed off at him when she needed one. If he knew Asuka as well as he thought he did, he assumed she would probably just pretend the previous night had never happened. This way Asuka could hold on to her all-important pride without looking like a total ingrate.

This is exactly what happened. Without another word, Asuka raided the fridge and poured herself a glass of orange juice before taking a seat at the table, looking bored as she waited for Shinji to finish breakfast. The silence between them was deafening but for once not uneasy. It was a comfortable standoff as if the usually combative teens had reached some sort of temporary ceasefire. The silence would only be broken by the sound of a door sliding open, preceding the third member of the house making her ungraceful appearance.

"Good morning kiddo's… Hmm, Shinji that smells great!" Misato stretched her arms in the air, riding up the already too short tank-top she'd be wearing, basically showing off every part of the female body allowed to be shown on network TV.

"Mein Gott, Misato," Asuka grumbled in disgust as she turned her head away and rolled her eyes. "Could you at least put some damn pants on?! We do have a perverted baka living under the same roof you know!"

Overhearing the pants comment, of course Shinji had to look. He blushed as he saw firsthand the extreme lack of coverage in the fore mentioned area, and quickly turned his attention back to the stove. Mercifully neither woman noticed his eyes wander. "I'm almost fished… Five more minutes and breakfast should be on the table."

"About damn time, I'm starving!" Asuka grumbled again, shooting another annoyed glance in Misato's direction as she sat next to her a fresh beer in hand.

"So then Asuka…" Misato broke the ice, as she popped open her morning coffee substitute. "I take it things went well last night?"

"Of course, why you think otherwise? This is me we're talking about here!"

"Right, silly me… Shouldn't have even bothered to ask," Misato half laughed and took a sip of her beverage. "Not that I'm saying you needed him or anything, but I take it Shinji helped out with that at least a little bit?"

Misato got a reaction she hadn't quite expected, but certainly loved having the chance to see it. Asuka blushed ever so faintly, refusing to her remove her eyes from the table. She was clearly embarrassed but this rare moment of humility was gone as quickly as it had begun. Asuka stuck her nose up and snidely replied. "He served his purpose…"

"And what purpose was that?" Misato smiled evilly. "I never did see Shinji leave your room last night. You two weren't getting naughty behind my back where you?"

"Of course not!" Asuka practically tipped the table over as she shot up to her feet. "Like I would let this idiot lay a finger on me, let alone touch his slimy stooge body myself!"

"Uh-huh, so he used more than one finger then?" Asuka looked ready to erupt. Though amused, Misato strategically ignored the budding rant set to spew forth from the Second Child, and changed targets to the Third. "So Shinji, Asuka's not in the mood to share, so how about you? What exactly went on behind closed doors last night?"

"Nothing really…" Shinji answered quickly, as if rehearsed. "I went to check in on Asuka last night. We talked for a while, and she seemed fine and said she didn't need any company… So I left and went to bed."

"Is that so…" Misato smirked knowing the boy was lying. A 4:00am bathroom break and Shinji's empty bed was all she needed to tell her that much. Seeing as Shinji had camped out on the floor in Asuka's room, she decided not to make the two teens sleeping in the room a big deal… Just as long as it didn't become a repeating occurrence.

Asuka didn't appear near as amused as Misato, judging by the icy death glare she was giving the back of Shinji's head. She wasn't even sure why what he said had annoyed her… He was only trying to cover their backs. Actually, he was protecting Asuka's pride and she actually noticed, but said pride wouldn't allow Asuka to accept that. She totally would've dismissed anything happened as well, and sort of did, but hearing Shinji speak as if nothing remotely important happened the night before well… It cheapened it a little in her mind, and she wasn't sure why.

Whatever bug had crawled up Asuka's ass, worked its way out as soon as that plate of hotcakes was set down in front of her. Breakfast passed in relative peace, and Misato had to note the lack of bickering between her two young wards. Silence wasn't something Misato could normally tolerate for very long, so with a full belly and a stretch of her fingers the tried to spark a conversation. "So, looks like you guys have got a full day off without school or NERV duties to attend to. What're you two planning to do with this rare day of freedom."

"I've needed to do some shopping," Asuka responded without hesitation. "My boobs must be growing again, damn bras have been getting tight lately. Anything's better than being cooped up in this place all day. Maybe I'll even take the idiot along with me, I could use a pack mule."

"Sorry, but I'm afraid you'll have to ask someone else to carry your stuff for you Asuka…" Shinji blushed slightly. "I sort of have plans already…"

Both women looked at him with curiosity. "What? You have a hot date with Curly and Moe?" Asuka jabbed, referencing Shinji's fellow stooges.

"No… But I do sort of have a date… With Aeri… I'm meeting up with her this afternoon…"

"Aeri?! That mousey little dummkopf with the fan-girl crush?!"

"She's not a dummkopf Asuka… She's a sweet girl and we have a lot in common…"

"Sweet, oh please! That sugar and spice act is so fake! You just like her because she worships you like some kind of Eva-God…"

"I really don't care what you think of her Asuka," Shinji spat, become agitated. "I like her, and I hope to see a lot more of her. I'm sorry if my plans interfere with yours, you'll just have to volunteer someone else to lug your crap around the mall today."

"Fine with me! Save me the trouble of having to look at your stupid confused face all day!" Asuka slammed her hands down on the table as she bolted upright. "Don't talk like you think I even care about that! You two idiots deserve each other!"

Asuka bolted towards her room fuming the entire way, leaving behind her empty plate. Shinji sighed and went about the all too familiar process of cleaning up after himself and his emotionally volatile roommate. Misato was in a horrible spot… She wasn't an inept guardian by any stretch, but in many ways she was still learning just as her charges were learning about life as they become young adults. Misato wanted to be happy for Shinji, hell she was. If fact she was itching to tease the hell out of him about this date, and find out some more about this new little girlfriend of his… She resisted this urge though, wanting to show some sensitivity to the other child under her care. Asuka could deny it until she was blue in the face, but Shinji getting involved with this other girl was *not* going to sit well with Asuka. She may have promised not to get involved in their relationship any further, but that didn't mean she wasn't rooting for them.

"Don't take what she said too personally Shinji. You know how important Asuka's pride is to her, and you did just kind of choose another girl over her."

"There shouldn't even have been a choice to be made! If Asuka had bothered asking me if I had plans before volunteering me to carry her crap for her, there wouldn't even have been an issue…"

"I wouldn't say she was volunteering you for anything Shinji… I think that was just Asuka's stubborn way of saying she wanted to spend the day with you."

Shinji paused briefly as if considering this option, before looking over at Misato as if he thought she'd gone stark raving bonkers. "I'm going to assume you didn't stop to think about your words before they left your mouth… I'm pretty sure Asuka would sooner spend time in a small locked room with a raccoon with rabies than she would me."

"If you say so Shinji," Misato sighed submissively, honoring her vow of neutrality. She said her piece, now it was up to these two pig-headed teens to find out what the other really wants. Of course they were both much more likely to first find a specific grain of sand smack in the middle of the desert before they would ever figure each other out. Misato finished her breakfast, meaning she drank several more beers, in relative silence as Shinji went about straitening up the mess breakfast had left in its wake. Sometime later, Asuka, in a fashion that could only be described as grandstanding, finally emerged from her corner of the apartment fully clothed and prepared for her day off. Misato nearly choked on her drink as she snickered. For starters, she was clearly overdressed for a simple recreational trip the mall, and second she couldn't help but note how Asuka made sure to stand in just the right spot as so Shinji would have the perfect view of her. Her schemed worked too, as Shinji did a double-take when her saw her, though not wanting to be defeated so easily he quickly turned his head away. Too little, too late, as Asuka had already won this round

"You still planning to hit the mall, even without your personal bag carrier," Misato joked. Asuka sneered at this.

"Of course I am, like I'd let that idiot spoil my day… I'll just call Hikari and see if she wants to come along. Even if she's busy, it's not like I need someone tagging along in order for me to put another big dent in my NERV expense account."

Both Misato and Shinji grunted uneasily as Asuka mentioned the name of her closest female friend. Both were well aware that the two girls hadn't been on the best of terms recently. Hikari had tried to dive too deeply into Asuka's personal life, and like so many before her, smashed face first into one those famous Soryu walls that Asuka could construct clear out of thin air like she was playing a freaking game of Minecraft. Misato worried that Asuka's attitude towards Hikari might've driven a permanent wedge between them, but Shinji knew better. He knew Hikari better than Misato did after all. He could totally see Hikari jumping at the chance to go hit the mall with Asuka, if only to try and repair the damage already done to their friendship.

Asuka headed towards the phone to call the girl in question only for the phone to begin ringing as Asuka reached her hand out to grab the receiver. Frowning slightly, she answered the phone."

"Hello, Katsuragi Residence…"

"Oh hey… Um, can I speak with Shinji please…"

Asuka scowled at the sound of the disgustingly polite voice on the other end of the phone. "Well, if it isn't Aeri… Sorry, Shinji's busy and can't talk to you right now." Asuka smirked smugly. "You know, since he's cooking me breakfast and all."

"Is he now… Well that makes sense," Asuka could almost feel Aeri forming a smirk of her own. "He did say you treat him like he's your maid. Anyway, let Shinji know I'll be seeing him soon! Oh, and tell him I can't wait for our date!"

Aeri hung up before Asuka had the chance to fire a comeback. In response, she slammed the phone back down on the receiver. _"Damn that two-face little twat! You'd think she's stolen my status as an Eva pilot the way she's treating this Shinji thing like it's some sort of major cue… Ha, jokes on her! What do I care what she does with that twerp!"_

It was this reasoning that she used to justify what she did next. "Hey, moron! Your baka-girlfriend said she'd be over shortly! Good luck trying to figure out what you're supposed to do with each other!"

"Oh uh… Thanks…" Shinji said absently, somewhat surprised… Surprised that Asuka hadn't jammed the phone down his throat as she told him. Not that he was capable of understanding why Asuka reacted this way to things involving him and other girls.

Shoving Shinji back into the abyss of everything that didn't exist to Asuka at that very moment, she turned her attention back to the phone. She sighed, and picked up the receiver, her fingers hovering just over the first digit of Hikari's phone number. Asuka didn't typically stray away from confrontation, hell she wasn't at all scared off by the potential for the one she might be moments away from having with Hikari. She only wished they could go back to the way things were before when Asuka had first arrived in Tokyo-3. Hikari had become a confidant she could speak with on a reasonably equal intellectual level, and someone she could gripe too about NERV, drunken guardians who steal the man of your dreams, and of course dumbass Eva Pilots. All Hikari ever asked for in return was for Asuka to listen whenever Hikari was in the mood to pine over her crush, that jock-stooge Toji. Asuka complied half-heartedly, not because she didn't have an interest in her good friend's love-life, but because she couldn't understand what she saw in the barely evolved passed the ape stage of evolution imbecile. Oddly enough, despite the German's poor opinion of the Third Child when they first met, Asuka had always thought Shinji and Hikari would make a better pair than the class-rep and the ape. Of course that nugget of a thought developed long before Asuka's own relationship with Shinji became so… Complicated and confusing. That was as far as she was willing to own to.

It was so much simpler back then before Hikari got these crazy ideas in her head about understanding Asuka, and suddenly caring about how she treated the third child. Hikari had never had any trouble seeing Asuka was always in the right before, but of course that was also before Hikari realized just how almost laughably one-sided Asuka's ramblings of her uphill struggles in dealing with her room-mate and fellow Eva Pilot actually were. Asuka had known Hikari's relationship with that mutton-brain Toji was going to put a sizable dent in Asuka's months of conditioning Hikari to see things the correct way, Asuka's way. Asuka had prepared for this, and had counter measures in place. The ape was no match for Asuka in a battle of wits anyway, or a can of creamed corn of that matter. What she hadn't counted on was Hikari and Shinji forming a strong friendship post 3rd impact, and how now the image she had tried to create for Hikari of the conniving impish invalid who couldn't tie his own shoes, drooled all over himself whenever he spoke, and basically failed to function as a human being because he was so obsessed with lusting after his exotic and amazing roommate well… Honestly, Hikari never really bought into her persistent complaints even back then, but now the illusion Asuka had created all but shattered. For some reason, Toji and Shinji's word were now just as good as Asuka's, which she found ridiculous. Her word should always superseded there's! Not for any childish reason like Hikari being Asuka's friend first, but rather because she was Asuka Langley Soryu damn it! Her word should be treated like the sweet sound of a song-bird upon the ears of anyone who hears it. Even when she was screaming loud enough to make said ears bleed.

By this point, Asuka decided she was being stupid and wasting time. She dialed the familiar number and waited somewhat patiently for someone to pick up. As luck would have it, Hikari was the one who answered. "Hello?..." Asuka could hear the hope in her friend's voice, and did feel a faint twinge of guilt at that.

"Hey Hikari, its Asuka. Sorry to bother you so earlier, but I'm planning on the hitting the mall later, and wanted to see if you wanted to meet me there."

"Um sure…" Hikari chocked, near ecstatic but remaining cautious. "There isn't anything wrong is there?"

"What could possibly be wrong? It's a lovely day outside, and I'm free from NERV for the entire day, so why not enjoy it? I'll meet you there in about an hour okay?"

"Okay! I'll see you there!" Hikari did nothing to mute the relief in her voice, and Asuka had to smile at this. Perhaps Hikari wasn't going to make it as difficult to smooth things over with her as Asuka had feared. Asuka hung up the phone, and without a single word to either of her roommates, she was out the door and gone.

Shinji noticed Asuka's sudden departure, and was unsure whether or not he should feel offended, or if Asuka even meant it that way. This was Asuka he was talking about, so more than likely, offense was intended. Misato caught him staring off after the red-head, and could probably recite word for word what was going on in that boy's head. "You know, it's not too late to run after her and say you've changed your mind about going shopping with her. You might have to grovel a little, but hey, you know what her price is."

Shinji glared at Misato as if she' d just asked him to jump between a slab of raw meat and a starving mountain lion. What Misato had suggested was kind of like asking the pin to chase after the grenade. "Why would I do that? Even if I wanted too, I still have plans with Aeri, and I'm not bailing out on her."

"If that's your choice Shinji…" A warm genuine smile crosses her lips. "You really like this Aeri girl dontcha?"

Shinji blushed and struggled for find a quick answer. "Yeah I like her… Though I'm not sure how much I like her yet if that's what you're getting at… I'm not sure if she'd like me as much if I wasn't an Eva Pilot, but she is really sweet…"

"Well, I'm glad for you Shinji. You deserve a little happiness in your life, so I hope this girl can help you with that a little bit…"

"Thank you Misato…" Shinji said wearing a genuine smile. That look quickly shifted to deer-in-the-headlights as Misato expression suddenly turned wicked.

"Now, we need to get you ready for your little date! You're certainly not going to leave the house dressed like that!"

"What's wrong with…" Shinji stared down at his attire, his school uniform per usual. A strong grip at his wrist broke his thoughts and shifted entirely as Misato drug him towards his bedroom.

"Come on mister! Misato's going to show you how to dress to impress!"

"But Misato I don't!... " _I think I'd rather have an Eva step on me!"_

End Chapter 4


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"Hmprf…" Asuka grumbled absently, as she tested the elasticity of a clearance rack skirt she had stretched out between her index fingers. Deciding that the garment wouldn't be too tight, she lined the skirt up with her waist, lifted the skirt into the light again, and then back to her waist. There was a robotic rhythm to her movements as if they'd been rehearsed, or even staged as if to project the appearance that she was just a regular teenager out on a shopping trip.

The young lady Asuka had recruited to take along on this shopping excursion knew better. Hikari had seen Asuka practically float around the mall as if it were God's personal gift to her unto this world. Even when simply windowing shopping with no intention of buying anything, which happened more often than you'd probably believe, Asuka would still glow with an air of exuberance as she bounced from shop to shop. Hikari had always felt that this was really the only occasion where Asuka looked more like a normal teenage girl than an Eva Pilot… An over-the-top shopaholic teenager, but a teenage girl none-the-less. With Asuka's extravagant tastes and somewhat snobbish attitude, you'd think she'd be all about buying nothing but the top designer brands and fashions too, but surprisingly Asuka was actually quite a sensible shopper. Oh, she spent plenty of money mind you, especially post Third Impact now that the active pilots got paid out the butt. Asuka was never afraid to hunt down a bargain though. She loved, and often bragged about finding good deals, and downright refused to buy anything she considered ludicrously over-priced regardless of the brand or the current trends. It seemed Asuka's pride and principles transferred to retail as well, and Hikari had always admired that about her.

Today was something completely different however. Asuka didn't seem to be enjoying their impromptu trip to the mall, in fact she looked downright bored… As if she'd rather be anywhere else, though where that was Hikari had no clue. _'Probably wherever Shinji is'_ she thought to herself, as she fought back a chuckle. She could make do without Asuka's wrath thank you very much. She had an educated guess as to what Asuka's problem was, but kept that opinion silent... You know, because of that Asuka's wrath thing again. Getting too personal with Asuka was what had gotten her in trouble in the first place, to a point where Hikari had feared she may have destroyed their friendship. She viewed Asuka inviting her out that morning as her second chance, so Hikari was determined to be careful and not bring up any subject that may potentially be sensitive. Still, she couldn't let things drag on like this… They had barely talked, and Asuka was acting like a lump with a NERV credit card. Asuka was passion personified, not this… Even if that passion often resembled an angry bull that had just been kicked in the balls, that still would've been better than what Hikari was seeing now.

Asuka lost interest in the skirt, if she'd had any actual interest in it at all, and then in the store entirely. Wordlessly she exited the shop, apparently expecting Hikari to follow suite, as she had pretty much that entire day. It was once they were back in the main hall that Hikari finally mustered the courage to speak.

"You know, we can do something else if you want… You really don't seem to be enjoying yourself so…"

"I'm enjoying myself just fine…" Asuka said with no noticeable emotion, though she did lift her nose into the air. "I certainly don't want to go home. If you really want to see me bored, then you should see me when I'm stuck in that stuffy old drunk's apartment all day!"

Hikari frowned slightly. She really didn't like it when people lied to her. Deciding to hell with it, she finally spoke her mind… And said the words that had been on the tip of her tongue all morning and half the afternoon. "Asuka listen… I'm sorry if you feel that I crossed the line the other day but… I just want you to know that I'm here for you… If you ever need to talk about anything, I'm here, but… I promise I'm not going to pry anymore. I just wanted to say that I'll be here if you ever do decide you need me… For whatever you need from me…"

Asuka chose not to look back at Hikari, but from the side view Hikari had of her friend's face, she couldn't make out any noticeable emotion. Asuka eventually completely turned her back to her friend and continued to say nothing. The wait and view of the back of Asuka's head were both equally excruciating. "What I need from you Hikari, is to be there… When I want to do something like this, or I need a friend… Not a psychologist, not a big sister, not a matchmaker… Just a friend, that's it."

Cringing as she'd half expected Asuka to lash out at her, Hikari loosened up blushing lightly. She nodded her head, and smiled softly. "Okay… I think I can handle that…"

Done with the conversation, Asuka ventured deeper into the mall. "You're right though, I'm bored as hell… Do you want to hit the arcade? Maybe shooting some zombies in the head will improve my mood."

Hikari was by no means an arcade troll, but at that moment she would've danced naked over hot coals to earn back Asuka's approval. She didn't want to piss on the trust she felt Asuka was finally starting to extend back to her. "Sure…"

* * *

"I'm on your tail Ikari!"

"Are you positive you haven't played this game before?!" Shinji yelped, trying in vain to maneuver his space craft out of the line of fire of his apparent video-game savant of a date. Or then again, maybe she was just a liar.

"Okay, maybe I have played once or twice," Aeri admitted with a coy smile, turning her wheel hard.

Yep, definitely a liar, but since when was that trait attractive? Anyway, Shinji watched helplessly as his digital craft burst into flames, immediately followed by the green screen of arcade death. "Down in flames again…"

"Yes! I win!" Aeri pumped her fist, then placed that same hand on the loser's shoulder. "Looks like someone owes me an ice cream!"

"You realize I would've treated you anyway, so their really wasn't any reason to hustle me," Shinji faked pouted, unable to fight back a small smirk.

"It was more fun this way though…" she paused as their eyes locked for a second. Understanding the position she had him in, her eyes thinned as she smiled coyly. Realizing what she was doing finally, Shinji's cheeks burst bright as a torch, seeming to actually burn him as he turned his head away.

"Um… sorry…"

Aeri giggled as if this was the most adorable thing she'd ever seen. "Come on, I want to go cash in my bet."

Shinji nodded in agreement, but on the way out of the arcade he had to ask her about something that had been bugging him throughout most of their um, date. "Hey, are you sure you're okay with this?"

"Okay with what?" Aeri asked, honestly confused, stopping just short of the exit of the arcade.

"The way the day is going I mean… I know going to the arcade was kind of your idea, but I don't know many girls who'd be content to spend most of their first date inside of an arcade…"

"Well, I'm not most girls. I like the arcade and so do you."

"I know, but there was also that hour and a half in the music store talking mostly about classical music…"

"What exactly are you getting at Ikari?" Aeri's brow rose in mock annoyance, the now familiar coy smile forming over her lips. "Poor Shinji… Are you just not used to being around a girl who has the same interests as you?"

"No… not exactly. Asuka likes those things too but…"

"Asuka?" Aeri frowned. "So you have enjoyed similar interests with her then?"

"No, not at all… I said we both enjoy similar things. We just don't enjoy them together. In fact, Asuka once told me she'd have to reevaluate Classical Music, because it couldn't be as sophisticated as she once thought if a loser like me is able to appreciate it."

"She's just horrible… I'm so sorry that you're stuck living under the same roof with her… It must be excruciating."

"Yeah, she's a pain… But she has her good points too…"

"With all due respect to you Shinji, all I see when I look at her is a spoiled brat with an over-inflated opinion of herself. I don't care how smart she thinks she is! If she's too stupid to see what a great guy you are, she might as well take that college degree of hers and scram it..."

"Okay, I get it! How about we just stop talking about Asuka and focus on each other, alright?" Shinji tried not to sound as if he was offended, but the astute Aeri picked up on this anyway. As a result, she complied by changing the subject and her tactics. "Now, how about I go get you that ice cream?"

"First, you still need to explain to me what was wrong with the first part of our date," Aeri demanded playfully, poking him in the chest with her index finger. He blushed, and Aeri could tell right away that he'd completely forgotten what they'd been talking about before 'her' name was mentioned.

"Nothing was wrong! I'm having a great time… Wha-what makes you think I have a problem?"

"Well, you were questioning my choices of the record store and the arcade, so that attitude makes me feel like my date is not having a good time."

"That's not true at all! I'm having a wonderful time really!... I, I just didn't want you to choose to do certain things just because I like them… I want to do things you'll enjoy too…"

"I am doing things I enjoy," Aeri cooed as she snaked her arm around Shinji's, delighting at the feel of his stiffening at the contact. "With whom I want to be doing them with."

Shinji blushed marvelously, and Aeri knew he was putty in her hands. "Alright then, looks like we've gotten that straightened out, so now you can buy me that ice cream!"

Shinji smiled shyly and nodded his head. The teens exited the arcade just as another pair was entering. Both sets of teens stopped cold in their tracks as they noticed one another. Standing nearly shoulder to shoulder, Aeri and Asuka glared at each other, almost daring the other to say or try something. Both Shinji and Hikari looked on as if they were expecting this encounter to initiate Fourth Impact. At the very least end in the total annihilation of the mall. Shinji in particular was willing to bet the farm Asuka would likely instigate. To both observers utter shock, nothing really happened. Asuka seemed to lose interest after a brief glare in Shinji's direction. Without a word or so much as a grunt, she walked passed them and into the arcade. Just as stunned by Asuka's lack of a reaction, Hikari briefly looked in Shinji and Aeri's direction before chasing after Asuka. Aeri smirked inwardly, feeling she'd won some unofficial test of wills. Clinging tightly to her prize, she hastily led him towards the ice cream shop. Too bad for the poor girl that she didn't realize she was the farthest thing from Shinji's mind at that moment.

* * *

"Stupid, stupid!" Asuka growled as she placed a bullet directly between a Zombie's eyes. "I'm not sure which one of them looks more like an idiot! Though I can say without question that she definitely has the bigger balls of the two!"

"Asuka…" Hikari said, not so much to be heard but rather just to make herself feel like she was part of the conversation Asuka had been having with herself as the bodies of digital zombies fell one by one at her feet. Hikari could wager that each zombie she shot was wearing either Shinji or Aeri's face.

Asuka continued to fire mindlessly at pretty much anything that moved, until finally even her rage proved no match for the flesh-hungry hordes. "Damn it to hell!" she spat as she slammed the gun back in its hostler. She stomped off only to stop at the first dark corner she came across, threw her arms across her chest and basically stared at the wall and sulked. It was sulking mixed with a heavy dose of hot carnal rage, but it was still sulking none-the-less. Hikari approached cautiously, unsure of what to do. In a lot of ways, Hikari felt like she was getting to re-know this girl she had met nearly three years before. She just didn't have a clue what to say to this version of Asuka, and hell it might be much safer for her not to say nothing at all. Leaving a friend hanging just wasn't in Hikari's makeup though.

"Why the hell did he bring her here Hikari?" Asuka asked suddenly, shocking Hikari somewhat that she'd openly bring up the couple to her. She recovered quickly though and listened to her friend intently. "He knew I was going to be at the mall today, I told him that much even before he blew me off to spend the day with his bubbled-headed skank! Why would he bring her here knowing there was a good chance they would run into me? Was he trying to rub her in my face? I knew he was a clueless idiot, but I never imagined he was an insensitive prick too!"

"I don't think he intended to do anything malicious Asuka… Shinji can be a bit clueless when it comes down to… Well, dealing with the opposite sex. I doubt he thought you'd mind if he showed up at the mall with Aeri whether you were here or not."

"Of course I'd mind! He blew me off for her, who wouldn't be annoyed as all hell over that?!"

Translation, you feel he chose Aeri over you, was the thought running through Hikari's head. Against her better judgment, she decided to give Asuka the answer she wanted to hear rather than the answer she needed to hear… At least for now. "You're right Asuka, Shinji's being a jerk. Let's not let him ruin our day out, otherwise he wins."

Asuka said nothing, staring blankly towards the wall. It was a silent admission that Shinji had already won. "If it's all the same to you, I think I just want to go home…" The image of Aeri clinging possessively to Shinji's arm looped in her mind, and it was making Asuka desperately want to put her fist through something.

"If that's what you want…" Hikari submitted as she felt this was the best option either way. "Would you mind if I walked you home?"

Asuka looked over at Hikari and smiled tiredly. "Sure… I think I'd like that actually…"

Back at the other end of the mall, Shinji settled his debt to Aeri, a double scoop of vanilla. Shinji had resisted the temptation to treat himself. He found he didn't have much of an appetite, and his mind was miles away. Well, not miles exactly, she was really only half a mall away. A certain red-head Shinji endlessly struggled to evict from his mind. He felt like a total idiot. Here he was, on his first real date with a girl who legitimately seemed interested in him, and since bumping into Asuka all Shinji could think about was a girl that despised him and the odd reaction she had to seeing he and Aeri at the arcade. If Shinji was trying at all not to let his date notice that his mind had wandered, he was doing a miserable job at it.

"You're thinking about her aren't you?" Aeri asked him, sounding more sad than angry.

"Huh?" Shinji barley avoided slamming his face against the table. "No, of course not… I mean who?"

"That's just what I thought," Aeri sighed, then took a lick of her cone. "I had a feeling you weren't being totally honest with me the day we met, about Asuka I mean…"

Shinji's brow furrowed. "I was being honest! Asuka and I are just roommates, nothing else… We're not a couple, and we're not even really friends…"

"That's not the point Shinji. You don't have to be involved officially for feelings to exist between the two of you… I can tell by your body language around each other, the vibes just bounce off of you two."

"I really, really doubt that…" Shinji laughed softly, wishing the table had a hole he could jam his head into. He settled for resting his chin on the table, making it a point to look at everything but Aeri.

"Shinji… Can I ask you a favor?" Aeri asked, sounding reluctant too.

"Umm… Sure…" he answered, unsure as to what was coming.

"Look, I don't have an issue with you an Asuka, I really don't… Like I said before, I don't mind competition. I just want to know what exactly I'm up against… Besides… When the time comes and you decide you don't want me as your girlfriend, I would still like to be friends… To accomplish that though, I need you to be honest with me okay?"

"That sounds fair…" Shinji blushed, managing a sad smile. "You've been nothing but upfront with me… Look though… I don't know exactly how I feel about Asuka, though I'm aware she has some sort of affect on me. I've given up any hope of ever having any kind of cordial relationship with her as friends or otherwise. If I was confused about that, I wouldn't be here right now with you… This is what I want… To get to know you."

Now it was Aeri's turn to blush. She smiled brilliantly, and for a few moments, made Shinji forget about what had been distracting him. The boy blushed himself both from the way she was looking at him, and after processing what he himself and just said. "Okay then Mr. Shinji… Believe me, if you play your cards right, you'll get to know more of me than you can possibly handle…"

Shinji didn't completely get the innuendo, but the parts of him that did where either dancing a jig or looking for a place to hide.

* * *

Asuka had shown some definite growth, in Hikari's eyes, when she resisted making a scene during her encounter with Aeri at the arcade… Encouraged by this, she had hoped Asuka would get over running into the two of them by the time they'd left the mall, and just maybe they could spend the rest of the afternoon hanging out like they used too. Oh how wrong she was, Hikari would sadly discover… Asuka didn't say a thing about them, and didn't give a hint otherwise she was even thinking about Shinji… Hikari knew better though, and could tell she was stewing, growing angrier with each step. By the time they neared the Katsuragi apartment, a semi-permanent scowl had etched itself onto her face, making Hikari shudder at the thought of the horrors Shinji and Aeri must have been going through in Asuka's darkest fantasies. Hikari kept her mouth shut though, through the complex door and the entire way up the elevator. By the time they reached the front door of the Katsuragi residence, Asuka was nearing critical mass and ready to erupt at any moment. Hikari was heavily debating whether or not she wanted to be in splashing distance when her top finally blew.

"Thanks for walking with me Hikari… I'll see you at school tomorrow," she said with little sincerity, almost sounding dismissive of her friend. Hikari was having none of that though, stopping the door with her hand before Asuka could close it on her.

"Wait Asuka…" The red-head paused, glaring at the freckle-faced girl impatiently. "Do you want me to hang around for a while?..."

"No thanks… Nothing personal, but I'm not in the mood for company."

"Are you positive about that?" Hikari asked, almost like you'd ask a child when you knew she was lying. "Do you really want to be alone right now?"

"Damn it, get it through your head Hikari! What Shinji and his fan-skank are doing isn't nearly as important to me as you're determined to believe! I'm over it, so I don't need you standing over me making sure I don't drown in my own tears! None are coming! I'm not some emotionally weak child who's going to get all bent out of shape because her feelings got hurt!"

Hikari, wisely, did not make light of the irony in what her friend had said. "I didn't say anything about Shinji Asuka… I just know that your upset and I'd like to be there for you if you'll let me…"

"For the last time, I don't need someone to hold my hand!"

"I don't want to hold your hand! I'm not saying you're not perfectly capable of yanking that bug out of your butt without any help from me… All I'm saying is that you don't *have* too! So maybe you'll have something to focus on other than all that crap that's *not* bothering you… Or in case you decide you want someone to talk to later, and then regret sending me home.

Asuka's expression softened as she stared off into the apartment. She hesitated briefly before finally surrendering to that pesky voice within her head screaming at her that she didn't really want to be alone. "Fine… You'll have to forgive me though, I'm not sure that I'll make very good company…"

Asuka wasn't lying either. She wasn't outwardly rude or hateful towards the freckled class-rep, but rather she just seemed barely aware of Hikari's very presence as the pair stared mindlessly at the TV set. Well, Asuka was anyway. Hikari's wits were well about her, and she paid much more attention to her German-born friend than the ridiculous show on the idiot box. She hardly ever even watched TV when she was at home. The awkwardness had lasted for several hours at this point, not a single work spoken between them. Hikari watched Asuka's mood descend from angry to looking just plain tried and melancholy. The class-rep would do anything if only her friend would talk to her about what was bothering her! Even if Asuka was only raving and bitching about things that were maybe half true at best. Anything was better than this… This… Wall Asuka had constructed between the two of them… Hikari wasn't used to having to deal with walls like many of the other people in Asuka's life. Along with her pride, these were the very reasons why Asuka couldn't say aloud that the idea of Shinji and Aeri as a couple was hurting her. If only she could get Asuka to talk without making it obvious that she was trying to get the red-head to open up. Hikari could definitely be tactful if she needed to be… It was time to prove to Asuka that she would always be on her side, and particularly in this case.

"Hey Asuka…"

"Mmm?" Asuka mumbled while staring blankly at the TV.

"How long do you think this relationship between Shinji and Aeri is going to last?"

Asuka seemed to suddenly remember Hikari was in the room with her, the red-head's attention now firmly directed towards the class-rep. "What does that matter? I'm sure it'll last as long as the baka can string it along. The idiot's so desperate for attention, and has this pathetic need to have someone pat him on the head and tell him what a good boy he is… As long as the fan-girl is filling his head with all this crap about how great he is, Shinji's just gona keep humping her leg until she gets tired of it…"

Hikari ignored Asuka's disparaging of Shinji, as she tended to do. She knew Asuka didn't mean half the things she said about him, so there wasn't much reason to take her seriously. "I don't think it's going to last very long… I don't know about you, but I don't buy her goody-goody act. There's just something disingenuous about her, and do you notice how she acts different around Shinji than she does when he's not around?"

Asuka nearly jumped off the couch. "That's my point exactly! Why can't anyone else see she's full of crap?! Baka's two stooge friends seem to think she's the greatest thing ever!"

"Erm well, I can't speak for them…" Hikari lied, blushing faintly. She knew damn well the reason why they were so happy about Shinji seeing Aeri because, in their minds, anyone was better than Satan's harbinger on Earth. "I think Shinji's going to see through it eventually though… Besides, Shinji's never exactly been proud about piloting Eva… I really don't see him building a relationship with someone based around a girl's obsession with the very thing he hates…"

"Doesn't seem to be a problem for him to this point…" Asuka grumbled bitterly.

Hikari studied Asuka thoughtfully as the red-head continued to brood, and again all but forget Hikari was sitting on the same piece of furniture as she was, let alone in the same room. Hikari realized she couldn't talk about certain things, the kind of things she really wanted to discuss with Asuka without one of those triple-reinforced concrete walls popping up between them, fitted with sub-machine guns every couple of feet, their targeting systems fixed squarely in the middle of Hikari's forehead. There had to be a way to tiptoe around this field that was 98% land-minds. The remaining two percent was primarily quicksand.

"Hey Asuka… Just ignore me if you don't want to answer this question, but I'm going to ask anyway. Why are you so opposed to Shinji seeing Aeri? You claim you don't care if they're a couple or not, so why do you seem so agitated by it?"

As Hikari expected, Asuka waved her right to remain silent. "Duh, didn't we just talk about that?! She's a total fake remember? An annoying, delusional, shameless fake!"

"So, what if she is? If Shinji doesn't care about that, then what does it matter? You almost sound like you're worried about the kind of girl your roommate is dating…"

Asuka flinched ever so slightly. Hikari ginned inwardly, sensing she'd gotten a good jab in. "Of course not, that idiot could put a dress on the penguin and call it his girlfriend for all I give a damn! I just don't want to have to deal with the whining and the sulking that's going to follow when he finally accepts that his little Eva-Otaku is only interested in him because of the giant robot he pilots…"

"Well, how about we give Aeri the benefit of the doubt, and pretend she's not only interested in Shinji because of Eva. More importantly, what if Shinji understands this and doesn't care? As long as he's happy what does it matter? She seems to treat Shinji really well, and he could really use that…"

"No, I'm not wasting my time on hypotheticals that have no chance of actually happening! Besides, if that idiot is willing to cling on pathetically to something that isn't real just to be happy, then he never would've aborted instrumentality! Come again, why does it sound like you're suddenly defending her?! Just a minute ago, you were calling Aeri a phony too!"

"I wasn't trying to defend her. I was defending Shinji's right to be blind and stupid if he doesn't want to see how she is. If it sounded like I was defending her, I guess it might be due to your irrational dislike of the girl…"

"Irrational?! How the hell am I being irrational by not liking someone?!"

"Oh come off it Asuka… Every time the girl's name comes up, your face contorts like you want to strangle someone. You don't get to that level of dislike just because someone lays on the sweet and proper act a little too thick… Yes, I would call that irrational, unless there's something you know about this girl that I'm unaware of that makes you so peeved at her… Is there a special reason why you dislike her so much?"

"Dislike? Seriously, you want to know why I dislike her?!" Asuka had to jump off the couch and up to her feet for this one. She paused briefly before starting her rant. "I don't dislike Aeri… I loathe her! I despise her! Everything about her, and girls like her! They want to put on the cutesy sweet and innocent act as if they aren't like your usual shallow & self-entitled teenage girl, when we all know that deep down inside, they're just as selfish as everyone else, and will turn on you at a moment's convenience! Aeri is about the worst I've ever seen! I hate her stupid bubbly laugh, mostly directed at things that anyone that hasn't been kicked in the head by donkey wouldn't find funny! I hate that stupid smug smile that she flashes at me whenever she thinks she's one upped me! I hate how everyone buys into her lame-ass prim and proper act! I hate how everyone we know refuses to shut up about how cute Shinji and Aeri look together, and how Aeri is so *good* for Shinji! I hate… I…"

Asuka paused, if for any reason, just to take a breath. She was bracing herself. Her skin bright red and boiling hot, her hands clench tightly as if ready to put them through a wall at a moment's notice. Hikari retreated as far onto the opposite end of the couch as she could, fearing Asuka could go nuclear at any time. She kept her ears open, unsure of exactly what Asuka was going to say or do next… What she did hear would absolutely amaze her.

"I hate her… I hate how he looks at her… I hate how he turns red and acts all stupid whenever she bats an eyelash at him! I hate that he chose her over me this morning!... I hate… I hate how she's able to be around him, how she's able to touch him and make it look so damn easy! I hate it… I hate them, I hate both of them!"

The sound of an empty glass crashing into the wall signaled the end of Asuka's rant. Her anger spent, Asuka peered at Hikari through the corner of her eye, perhaps merely to check if her friend was still there. Hikari remained on the couch, stunned to silence by what she had just heard. Apparently finished, Asuka stormed out of the sitting room and towards her bedroom.

"Asuka wait!" Hikari heisted briefly, before deciding to go after her friend. Hikari found the temperamental German in her room as expected, but with the door open. She cautiously took this as an invitation to come inside. "Asuka…"

"Close the door," she ordered, in a tone Hikari wouldn't dare disobey. Seeing as the class-rep was already on the bedroom side of the door, she assumed Asuka meant close the door behind her. Hikari stood there for what had to be the longest most excruciating ten seconds of her life, Asuka's back to her from where she sat atop her bed. She seemed to stare purposely into nothing, or perhaps she'd already destroyed whatever she'd been staring at with her mind. As the seconds ticked by, Hikari began to worry she might've locked herself in a cave with an extremely pissed off bear, though granted bears didn't typically speak. "Sit down."

Again, Hikari obeyed without hesitation, though albeit she sat down as far down on the opposite end of the bed as she could manage. She looked over at Asuka expectantly, nervously, until Asuka finally brought the suspense to a merciful, end. "What I'm about to tell you doesn't leave this room. So help me, if you ever repeat to anyone what I'm about to tell you, I swear I'll eradicate your entire bloodline! Can you promise me that you can keep your mouth shut?"

"Of course Asuka, of course! I won't tell another soul, I swear…"

More silence followed, enough that Hikari nearly felt strangled by it. She waited, and waited some more until finally… Asuka, for at least the next several minutes, lifted the curtain and introduced Hikari to a world no person had seen in years. "You asked why it upset me to see Shinji with that Eva-loving ditz? Didn't you see the way the little tramp was draped all over him while that idiot grinned like a lovesick monkey!" Asuka's voice was angry, and she was practically growling through her gritted teeth by the end. "Pretending like I wasn't standing five feet away from them! He knew I was going to be at the mall today, he knew they might run into me but he brought her anyway! I knew he was an idiot, but is he seriously that clueless?! Especially after last night…"

"You're anniversary…" Hikari whispered sympathetically, purposely avoiding saying precisely what the day before was the anniversary of. Asuka nodded her head grimly.

"The idiot forced me to spend the evening with him, rather than letting me suffer through it alone…" Asuka chuckled sadly. "The moron was actually tolerable company for a change… Then this morning, he brushed it off like nothing happened, and now he's shoving his Eva fan-bitch in my face…"

"Knowing exactly how you feel about Aeri too…" Hikari added, though that wasn't really what she wanted to say. It's what she settled for, worried that if she spoke her mind she may incur her violate friend's wrath. To her surprise, Asuka seemed more agitated with her blindly agreeing with her.

"Don't patronize me Hikari, just say what you're thinking… It doesn't really matter that it was Aeri… He could've had any other girl on his arm and it would've bothered me just as much… That's what you've been wanting to hear right? What you've been trying to pry out of me for the last three years… Well isn't it?!

Asuka's eyes shut tight as if locking down, but several stray tears managed to trickle out from beneath her eyelids despite her furious efforts to hold them at bay. Seeing this, Hikari immediately rushed to Asuka's end of the bed to place a hand on her shoulder. "Oh Asuka… I knew this was hurting you… Why don't you just tell him?"

"Tell him what exactly?! You make it sound so easy, but don't you remember how difficult it was for you to finally tell the stooge you liked him?! Now imagine how hard that is for someone like me?! You think I wouldn't love to tell Shinji to forget about Aeri because he's supposed to be with me?!" Asuka laughed at irony of what she had to say next. "Though I would somehow have to convince him to do so under the guise that absolutely nothing would change between us, and I'd likely deny I ever said anything afterward… It's just not that simple for me… I may feel this way now, but I guarantee you that about five minutes after this conversation is over, I'll remember everyone who's ever hurt me, and I'll have already convinced myself I don't need anybody and that this conversation didn't mean squat!.. Ha, ha…" Asuka's laugh bordered on creepy. "I'll have flashbacks of my mother's suicide, recall how she replaced me with a damn doll… I'll remember what a spineless wimp Shinji is, and how he was never there for me when I really needed him… When I needed someone to hold me, or just put a hand on my shoulder and tell me everything was going to be alright… Someone who understands that even if I slap that hand away, that the gesture was still appreciated. We're alike, Shinji and I, so if anyone should understand me shouldn't it be him?! Why does it have to be him?!... Why is he the one I want?…"

"Asuka…" Hikari mouthed, floored by Asuka's unprecedented display of emotion… Okay that's being nice. This display from Asuka was nothing short of an emotional breakdown. A display that would've been considered a meltdown for a person with a normal temperate, but for Asuka this was Chernobyl times 10. "You obviously care about Shinji, and I know he cares about you… Things may just work out for you two yet."

Asuka shook her head. "No they won't." Asuka wasn't smug or argumentative with her response. She just sounded like a person conveying a fact as if it were as mundane as stating the color of the sky. "Not with the way we are… We're both so broken, I doubt there's any fixing us. Even trying would be like taking the junk parts of two lemon cars and slapping them together to try and make one car that will run. That car might get you down the road a few miles, but it's only a matter of time before that vehicle breaks down, and once it does, it'll likely burst into a ball of flames. Before you know it, all that's left is a burnt out husk sitting on the side of the road…"

"Asuka…" Hikari felt miserable. Like she was the sorriest person in the world to ever walk the Earth and consider themself someone's friend. She wasn't fool enough never to notice that Asuka had her issues, but Hikari had no idea just how deep those scars ran and she felt like shit for it. Even when no one would've ever blamed her for it. Asuka put forward a fantastic façade after all, and only those closest to her suffered the true brunt of her wrath. It was all Hikari could do but to put her arm around Asuka just to let her know she was there for her. Immediately she felt Asuka stiffen and jerk away.

"Don't touch me!... I… Please leave Hikari… I need to be alone now…"

Hikari thought about it, wondering if her departure was what Asuka truly wanted… And even if it was, was it the best thing for the emotional red-head? "No… I don't want to leave yet, and I don't think you really want me to go anyway. You don't need to be alone, that's for sure."

"Oh? So, you're an expert now on what I need? Take a hint, I don't want you here… Just go home…"

"No."

Now Asuka was infuriated, and it showed in a dragon like snarl as she turned to spew scorching hot fire onto her impudent friend. What the hell was up with people defying her will lately? "Damn it, I said leave! I don't need, nor want your damn pity, so just get out of my face!"

Hikari crossed her arms in stubborn defiance. "No. You don't need to be alone right now, so I have no intention of leaving. You can't bully me like you do Shinji either, so don't even try it."

If it had been Shinji sitting there instead of Hikari, Asuka probably would've knocked his lights out by now. Make no mistake that she did briefly consider giving the class rep that very treatment, but something held her back. What happened next surprised both of them. Her eyes clenched tightly, the levies failed, and tears began to leak from those normally cold and stern eyes. Thinking on it for maybe a second, Asuka buried her face into Hikari's shoulder and sobbed without control. Hikari offered no comfort in the way of words, but rather just wrapped her arms around her. Words were not going to help her, Hikari saw that now, as she was finally learning to truly understand Asuka Soryu. It shamed Hikari somewhat to think about how long it took her to come to this understanding.

Hikari's uneasy silence, muted by the warmth of her embrace, lasted several minutes before Asuka finally stirred. She firmly, though not violently, pushed Hikari away and turned her back, not wanting Hikari to see her red and tear-stained face. "I hate it that you're seeing me like this… I would really appreciate it if you left now…"

Hikari thought about arguing, then thought better of it. Primarily because Asuka had asked her to leave rather than demanding that she do so. Her request seemed sincere, not an attempt to blitzkrieg her way out of an emotionally trying confrontation. She nodded her head as she stood up, and started for the door. "Okay, I'll go… If you need me you know where to find me."

Asuka elected not to offer a response. Hikari lingered for a bit, and then Asuka finally felt her presence leave the room as she heard the door shut softly behind her. Asuka dropped to the ground and placed her knees up to her face. She fought tooth and nail to keep the tears from coming, but for the second time that night, she wound up on the losing end of that battle.

Hikari sighed half in relief, and half in frustration as she leaned back against the door she had just closed. Her eyes widened as she came face to face with one Shinji Ikari. "Shinji what are you?..."

"Oh I…" Shinji diverted his eyes, and descended into wimp mode. Hikari could tell by his reaction that he'd been caught eavesdropping on them. Her brow furrowed and she might've just given him a reprimand if she didn't have this twinge of a feeling that she knew why Shinji was standing outside Asuka's door. "I'm sorry… I just got home a few minutes ago, and I thought I heard Asuka crying and I… I didn't realize you were here."

Hikari sighed then smiled as her suspicions were confirmed. Shinji wasn't spying on them, he was just concerned for Asuka. "Oh Shinji… You realize that you two are just hurting yourselves when you pretend you don't care."

"What makes you think I'm pretending not to care? It's not that simple with Asuka… You don't know her like I do…"

"Don't be so sure of that… I think I'm starting to understand her better than you might think…" Hikari said softly, barely even audible really. Shinji waited for Hikari to elaborate on what she meant, but the freckled girl chose not to. Always the proper girl, Hikari bowed to the boy. "It's getting late and I need to get home… I'll see you guys at school Monday… Bye…"

Hikari hurried around Shinji, and unbalanced as she might have made him, Shinji's eyes did not follow the girl. The sound of the front door closing was his only indication that the girl had left the apartment. Shinji continued to stare at Asuka's door, half-heartedly debating whether or not to knock and see how she was doing. Not that the gesture would be appreciated, and as a matter of fact would likely be met with violence, but at least he could say he was trying. Hell, maybe he'd take the initiative and barge into Asuka's room without permission and try to comfort the red-head whether she liked it or not. Of course the latter was a ludicrous idea and wasn't about to happen anytime soon. Testicles didn't grow three sizes overnight, except maybe as a side-effect to your medication and said person should probably consult with their physician immediately, especially if they're a woman. No, Shinji continued to stare down that door as if it were the entrance to the Roman Coliseum and he was a Christian about to be thrown the lions. Oh, how he wished there were lions on the other side of that door. Getting mauled and ripped limb from limb by an over-sized cat sounded much gentler than whatever Asuka might have in store for him. In the end, he came to the conclusion he had already come to before Hikari had even left the apartment…. About five seconds too late. Asuka's door slid open to reveal an agitated red-head giving him the eye, as if she'd expected to find him here. True to his character, Shinji stiffened and jumped headlong into panic mode. His mouth went dry, which he would later blame for this inability to speak, as he focused his vision further down the hallway rather than maintain any form of visual contact with Asuka. Lord knows he'd melt like a stick of butter in a microwave had he tried to compete in any sort of staring contest with her.

Sensing she'd already defeated Shinji the second she opened the door, Asuka grunted in agitation before asking the question she surely should've already know the answer too, but somehow it managed to allude her. "Just what the hell are you doing lurking right outside my bedroom door Third?"

"I'm not lurking!" Shinji squeaked. "I just… I thought I heard something, and when I came to check it out I bumped into Hikari… We talked for a little bit before she left that's all… It just so happens that the conversation occurred right outside your room, or is that somehow forbidden now too?"

Asuka's eyes narrowed, clearly not buying Shinji's story. Hikari had left her room over ten minutes before, closer to fifteen even. She doubted any kind of conversation she had with Shinji could've been interesting enough to last more than a few seconds. "Seeing as Hikari is nowhere around at the moment, I'd have to wager that conversation ended a while ago. Yet you're still there aren't you? Got an explanation for that one, hum?"

Shinji turned beet red, now recognizing the twenty foot hole he'd left in his story, and then hung his head like a scolded puppy. This only seemed to agitate Asuka further. "Well, are you going to tell me why you were sniffing around my room Third?!"

"Fine! And I wasn't lurking! I wasn't planning on raping you in your sleep or anything perverted like you're probably thinking!... If you have to know, I thought I heard you crying, and I was worried… I came to check on you and that's when I ran into Hikari… The reason I'm still standing out here is because I was too scared to knock on your door because… Well, I was afraid this was going to happen!"

"Awe… How sweet and noble of you Shinji…" Asuka mocked without wavering from her annoyed expression, clearly underwhelmed. "First of all, I wasn't crying! Second, even if I was it's no concern of yours! Perhaps you don't get it, but when you wash your hands of somebody, that means you don't need to worry about what's going on in their world."

"I thought we established last night that I was full of crap when I said that… What exactly do you expect me to do anyway? Just ignore it when I know you're upset?"

"Yes, that's exactly what you're supposed to do when the matter doesn't concern you! Why do you even care anyway?!"

"You know Asuka… I don't know… I don't…" Shinji shook his head and started to pace the hall ranting mostly to himself. "I shouldn't care I know I shouldn't, lord knows you've given me every reason not to! I shouldn't care, I shouldn't, and I wish I didn't… But I do, and I'm standing here getting my head chewed off because of it… I really wish I didn't care Asuka, I really… I just don't know why I do, I don't…"

Shinji was done with the conversation at this point, and stumbled off to his end of the hallway before Asuka could muster a return salvo. Asuka though, was uncharacteristically quiet, her jaw hanging open and halfway to the floor. "What?..."

Shinji ignored her and hurriedly opened his door, an action that served Asuka with a fresh glass of pissed. "Hey, don't ignore me!" Asuka grabbed the closest thing to her, a pillow, and flung it at Shinji. His door slid closed a split second before the pillowed bounced off of it, just as an angry German stormed out towards that same door. "You can't just say something like that and then run away you little twerp! Get your ass back out here now!"

Asuka waited all of five seconds before snarling and then marching back to her room. She slammed the door behind her and dropped down onto her hindquarters. Her anger instantly evaporated, as that one thing Shinji had said kept repeating itself in her mind. "Did… Did he just say he cares about me?... What the hell is going on?!"

An hour later, Asuka found herself in virtually the same position Shinji had, only this time Asuka found herself just outside of his bedroom. She stared down his door as if it were a portal to hell, and if she opened it, she'd be sucked inside and swallowed into the abyss. She questioned herself over and over on why she was even out there, but crazy thing was that she had the same answer for it every time. She had to talk to him. She wasn't sure why or about what, but she knew she had to talk to him. This was a feeling she wasn't accustomed to, well two feelings really. She wasn't used to needing or wanting anything from… Well anybody, and she definitely didn't get this nervous about confronting an idiot like Shinji. Then again, Shinji had a way of making her feel things she wasn't accustomed to, or able, or willing to accept. Wasn't that the root of their problems though? The heart of their constant bickering?

A part of her urged her to burst into that room and demand that Shinji explain what he had meant when he said he didn't know why he cared… And if it was true, then why was he acting the way he was towards her? Maybe if she could force or guilt him into admitting he does really care, then just maybe… Just maybe she could swallow her pride long enough to tell him how much she hated how things were between them, how it was tarring her up inside… Then just maybe…

Blushing, Asuka shook her head and frowned at this thought. Obviously the latter was never going to happen. It's ironic when you think about it. Asuka Langley Soryu, the girl who spent most of her life building walls and burning down bridges as soon as construction was under way, could now peek through the small cracks in one of those walls and see Shinji building his own. She figured out pretty fast that she didn't like being on the other side of someone else's wall.

"This is pointless!" She growled at the door as if it had wronged her. Understanding what she had to do, she stormed off towards the bathroom. Asuka went straight for the medicine cabinet and quickly found what she was looking for. Misato's rarely used sleeping pills… She poured six pills into her hand, not enough for her to overdose, but enough to help her stay good and unconscious for an extended period of time. She gripped her hand over the pills with conviction, taking a hard long look at the determined girl in the mirror.

Three times the recommended dose of the sleep meds had the desired effect, as it wasn't long before Asuka found herself in a deep sleep. Her eyes opened to once again find herself in that expansive black abyss, a cloaked figure hovering overhead as if expecting her. "Greetings Ms. Soryu… While I'm flattered you decided to visit me, I don't believe putting yourself into a drug induced comma was necessary…"

"Can it mystic dweeb! I've got something to say, so you just shut up and listen! Got me?"

"Hmm?..." The off putting smile never left the hooded figures face.

"You asked me before what I wanted most in this world, but you didn't believe the answer I gave you was honest. To be truthful, I thought you were merely trying to manipulate me into giving you the answer you wanted to hear, but I realized earlier tonight that you were right. There is something I want more than anything else in this world, and if you can't help me with it, I don't know who can…"

"Is that so?... Please share this sudden epiphany with me."

"I want you to fix me…"

"Fix you?" he asked, cocking his head to the side. "But you're the great Asuka Langley Soryu are you not? Beautiful, brilliant, the toast of the Evangelion community. What exactly is there about you could I possibly improve on? A larger bust size perhaps?"

"No, you damn pervert! I mean up here…" Asuka placed her index finger to the side of her head.

"I'm sorry, I still don't follow. I need you to be more specific."

"How much more specific can I be?! You claim you want to help me, but you seem more content to screw round with me! Maybe you should just tell me exactly what you want me to say, and then maybe we can start getting somewhere…"

The figure paused for a moment, ever smiling. "Fair enough… Perhaps asking you to be specific was a poor choice of words… What I require is for you to be completely honest with me."

Asuka didn't appear any less annoyed with this revised version of what she viewed as the same damn request. "Honest about what?! You're still being too vague!"

"Oh come now! I'm not making an unreasonable request, nor should you be surprised I've made said request. You do have a track record of not being totally honest with yourself even, let alone everyone else."

Asuka turned her head and snorted, a slight blush strongly hinting at her guilt though she would never admit it out loud. "Whatever… Before I agree to anything, you need to answer me this question first. Can you help me?"

"Yes and no… Maybe…"

"Well, which one is it?! Stop the games and tell me if you can help me already! It's a yes or no question, it's not that complicated."

"Oh, but the answer is far more complicated than you can perceive young lady… Yes, I can help, but not in the drastic way you're likely hoping. I can not completely heal your fractured mind as that is far out of the realm of my capabilities. Neither can I erase the memories of the tragic events that have polluted your mine, at least not without erasing your mind completely and I doubt you'd want that."

"What can you do then?" Asuka asked, sensing he had more to say and was eager to hear it.

"What I can do is help you face these demons that have poisoned your mind, teach you how to cope with them rather than locking them away and pretending they don't exist. It may take some time, but by the end maybe… Just maybe relating and opening up to people will merely be extremely difficult, rather than an outright impossibility."

Asuka's heart sunk. She really had hoped this mysterious person would have some sort of magic cure that could heal her shattered psyche, though her college degree and common sense compelled her to accept that this wasn't possible. Still, if this cloaked figure could help her even slightly, she was desperate enough to take him up on any offer of aide he was willing to make. "Fine… Just tell me what you want me to do."

"Why dear Asuka, I've already told you what I want. Honesty, that is all. Be honest with me and yourself. I'm well aware that this is not an easy request I'm making of you. You've spent your entire life developing this pseudo identity for yourself that you've aggressively tried to force on anyone who crosses your path, all the while ignoring how said souls truly perceive you. This will be one of our primary focuses, opening your eyes to who you truly are instead of how you insist you should be perceived."

"Fine whatever…" Asuka grumbled, already not liking this.

"Remember Asuka… This is your dreamscape, and I'm really nothing more than a figment your mind has called forth to help you in your time of need. There's no one here to laugh at you… Look down on you or judge you… Nobody here can hurt you, so there's no reason for you not to be honest. Do not be afraid to admit your fears, your doubts within yourself, and most importantly don't deny the feelings you know that are there. If even once I believe you're being deceptive or not taking the aide I'm offering you seriously, I will cease helping you and you'll be on your own. Do you understand this?"

After a long moment, Asuka still hadn't answered. Finally she lowered her head in submission and grumbled a barely audible, "Fine…"

"Good, now what do you say we test out your willingness to cooperate. I want you to tell me… Why have you come seeking my help Asuka?" The cloaked figure watched as Asuka's eyes widened in fear, and then watched as the girl retreated into herself. She shut her eyes, reopened them, and then delivered the most honest answer her heart could offer.

"You want honesty… Well, let me ask you something. Do you have any idea what my two biggest fears are?"

"Yes… But I'd rather hear them straight from your mouth."

Asuka paused again before calmly complying with the hooded man's request. "My biggest fear in life is getting close to someone… Anyone to be exact. Anyone I've ever allowed to get close has found a way to hurt me, so I decided I was only going to allow people to get so close… And if they got too close then I'd be sure to be the one to hurt them before they had a chance to hurt me… My second biggest fear is spending my life alone… Ironic isn't it? Ha, ha ha… Doesn't that just sound like the perfect recipe for driving yourself insane?! I'm well aware that I'm on the fast track to self-destruction, and I want off! I have to do something! There are so few people who truly care about me, and even fewer that I care about in return… I don't want to keep pushing them so far away that they fall out of my life for good! It took everything I had not to punch my best friend in the face and she was only trying to help me! I can't bare it anymore! Something has to change, it just has too!"

Asuka's fists had tightened into balls as tears spilled from her tightly clenched eyes. She composed herself quickly and proceeded to stare at the cloaked figure as he remained silent, ever smirking. "Excellent… Let us begin then Asuka Langley Soryu."

End of Chapter 5

 _ **-Alas, that's the end of my little side story with Asuka and Hikari, and I'm going to miss it. I wanted to steer away from the fan fiction norm a bit, and not make Hikari so blindly tolerant, or at least ignorant, to Asuka's more bratish behavior. I mean if one of Asuka's more accepted personality traits is that she pushes people away when they get too close, why wouldn't she do the same if Hikari starting to get too personal with her? For my story, I didn't want Hikari to be completely exempt from Asuka's wrath, at least for a few chapters. I wanted more motivation for Asuka to better herself, and not have it all be about Shinji... That's just too soapy. I want her to be doing this for herself most of all, even if a big part of it is salvaging her relationships with the people most important to her. Asuka's finally beginning to accept that she's her own worst enemy, and as they say, admitting you have a problem is often the first step to recovery... Even if Asuka is resorting to unconventional means to get there.**_


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

For a brief moment, everything had gone white. As her vision cleared, Asuka had expected too… Well, she wasn't sure what to expect, but it wasn't finding herself in the same dark void that was beginning to feel like a home away from home, at least as far as her dreams were concerned. The cloaked idiot, as she had dubbed him, floated in his usual spot. The only difference was a graphic that seemed to be etched into the fabric of the very void itself, a graphic of a human brain. Dotting the diagram were several dots of varying size and color. "My, how subtle... I take it this is supposed to be my brain?"

"None other… Think of this diagram as a map to your mind. The seven dots represent traumatic events, memories, or in some cases, life-altering events that led to your mind ending up in the fractured state you find it today. The size of each dot signifies the significance said event has impacted your psyche."

Asuka's eyes were drawn to the largest of the blemishes on that beautiful brain. Twice the size of any of the other's, it was purple and nestled in the farthest corner of her mind, literally. Frowning slightly, she had a feeling she knew what this blip represented. "That big purple one is the dummkopf isn't it?"

The cloaked figure's eyes twinkled slightly as if amused by her assertion. "Interesting… A child who discovered her mother after her suicide and later in life had her mind raped by an otherworldly being, and yet your first guess is the meek quiet boy you claim to despise?

Asuka turned her head clearly agitated, and grumbled through gnashed teeth. "It was just a guess! The dork's Eva is purple, so I don't know… Don't read stuff into it! Though, that idiot has been a colossal pain in my ass since the day I met him… He'd have to be pretty high on the list of things that have driven me the brink of insanity…"

"Really… How so?" the figure asked, seeking to test Asuka's willingness to express herself honestly as to satisfy their agreement. To his surprise, no shock really, he got a bitterly honest answer.

"In more ways than I count…" she sighed, staring off at something in the distance that didn't seem to be there. The cloaked figure smirked.

"It is time… Let's begin here…" To Asuka's frustration, the cloaked idiot didn't specify where here was, and by the time she got the opportunity to ask for him to elaborate, the scenery suddenly shifted. No longer was she alone with the cloaked idiot in that void of time and space, but in front of a century old brick elementary school. Asuka recognized where she was almost instantly. "Wolfgang Strauss Elementary… This is my old grade school."

Asuka smirked sadly as the memories of this place flooded back to her. She wished she could say that they were fond memories, but sadly most weren't. Naturally, Asuka Langley was the hotshot of the grade school halls. She was a straight A student and two years younger than most of her classmates. Asuka wasn't shy about shouting her capabilities to the rooftops either and that attitude never quite helped sooth either the tension or resentment building for her within the hearts of her older classmates. This made school all the more difficult for a girl who already struggled in any situation that involved relating to other people. So, despite carrying the mantel of the popular girl and playing that image of herself up to arguably unnecessary degrees, friends were still few and very far between during her school years rendering her social life virtually non-existent.

No, there was sadly little from her original school years in Germany that Asuka cared to remember, which was all the more reason for her little trip down memory lane to start here, she reasoned. Asuka soon caught a glimpse of her grade school-self exiting the school, alone of course, head propped up smugly like a prize pony trotting out of the stable. Bravado aside, even back then, Asuka was somewhat aware that many of her classmates didn't hold Asuka in as high regard as Asuka tried to hold herself. Asuka watched as her younger self overheard the snickers and whispers of several girls from her class, all several years older than she. It dawned on Asuka exactly what memory they were looking at, as she could almost recite the flashback word for word.

"Was it just me, or did Langley seem extra obnoxious today…" said a blonde girl who appeared to be the leader of the group. She was booked-ended by two darker haired girls, one with short-hair one with long. Oddly enough, their faces looked the exact same, likely because Asuka socialized so little with her classmates at that time that their faces all ran together. As for their names well… No way Asuka would've bothered holding on to a trivial piece of information like that for people, quite frankly, not worth the effort to remember… If you exclude the fact that the blonde's jaw would be wired shut for about a month following the exchange these three simpletons were about to have with the young prodigy.

"Langley? I thought her last name was Zorro, or Sorya, or something like that," said the girl with short-dark hair, who seemed to lean heavily towards the ditzy side.

The blonde shrugged. "Some foreign thing… Chinese or some sort of Asian. Her father's not from here either, he's from America! She's barely even German!"

"What's she doing here then?"

"Well, what I heard was that her father worked for one of those weird post Second Impact companies that was doing some kind of job in Germany. While he was here, he got some big-shot's daughter pregnant and was basically forced into marrying her. Long story short, now we have to deal with a spoiled pain-in-the-ass because of it!"

"Hey, didn't her mom kill herself because her dad was like, cheating on her with a bunch of different women?"

"Something like that… It's funny isn't it? She tries to act all high, mighty, and superior to everyone, when in reality, her family is like a screwed up second-rate soap opera!"

"You can't really blame her mother though…" The blonde smirked evilly. "If I had to come home to that obnoxious spoiled demon every night, I probably would've hung myself too!"

All three girls began to laugh gleefully, though the two darker haired girls stopped when they took notice of the short red-head now standing behind them gritting her teeth. They couldn't tell if she was about to cry, or go completely ballistic on them. The two girls informed the blonde of Asuka's presence. She did seem sheepish for all of a second before a devious smile formed over her lips.

"My, my, speak of the red-devil… It's little Asuka." The red-headed girl said nothing, as her grip on her bookcase tightened to the point she nearly sent the leather on the handle into oblivion. "What's the matter? You gona cry like a little kindergartner?"

"Mama…"

"What was that?" the blonde asked, as she walked towards Asuka, leaning down so to place her cupped ear in front of the shorter girl's mouth. "Crying for your dead mama? I've got news for you Red, she's not coming! Remember, she killed herself so she wouldn't have to put up with a spoiled little twerp like you! Hey, when you think about it, it's practically your fault that she's dead."

The blonde's two friends had backed away by this point, seemingly wanting nothing to do with6 the confrontation the blonde was initiating. Poking fun at their younger overachieving classmate behind her back was one thing, but throwing her mother's suicide right into Asuka's face was something else entirely.

They would prove wise in giving them a wide berth. Asuka's head rose, tears staining a face that somehow still burned with an unbridled rage that many a person would come to fear over the years. This poor fool would be the first to experience the wrath of a scorned Asuka. "My mama loved me… Don't you talk about my Mama!"

Asuka's bookcase finally separated from the handle, as said case smashed against the blonde girl's skull. She hit the ground and before she knew what hit her, literally, Asuka was straddled atop of her, raining punch after punch onto her soon to be mangled face. There wasn't much power behind the young girl's frail arms, but the blows were quick and numerous enough that the adrenaline that spurred on the onslaught took its toll. Blood poured from her broken nose, and more than one tooth was liberated from the blonde's gums, how many Asuka could not remember. Despite being considerably larger that Asuka, the blonde was unable to pry Asuka off of her and could only cry for help as her terrified friends and other young onlookers watched on. If a teacher hadn't happened by to pull the flailing red-head off her victim, there's no telling what degree of damage Asuka might've inflicted on her.

Asuka lost interest in the memory by this point, now staring blankly at one of the many brick walls that comprised the school. The cloaked figure took note, curious as to what she was so deep in thought about. "Does this image trouble you? Do you regret your actions that day?"

"Hell no!" Asuka snorted with true confidence. "Blonde bitch deserved what she got… The only thing I regret is not getting a couple of good kicks in while I was being pulled off of her."

"I see." If not for that same all-consuming grin he wore on that face, Asuka might've almost swore he chuckled at this. "Tell me what happened after your little outburst."

Asuka shrugged her shoulders. "Got suspended for a couple of weeks… The principal wanted to expel me, but dear old dad pulled some strings and I got to stay in school, whoopee! Not that it surprises me he did that. It was the best boarding school in Germany after all, and if I got kicked out, he might actually have had to try his hand at raising me himself! Not to mention disgracing his precious family name and all."

"Did you get into fights often after this?"

Asuka shook her head. "Nope, that was the only real fight I'd been in… I kind of garnered a reputation after that, so nobody messed with me after that day."

"Indeed… And tell me, did having this reputation make you proud?"

Asuka paused a moment having to think this question over. "Yes and no… I don't know. It was good that everyone left me alone after that… Man, did they ever leave me alone…" Her eyes got sad and distant as she said this. The cloaked figure wasn't quite ready to let up however.

"There is one thing I would like to ask you. Why exactly did what that girl said cause you to react so violently?"

Asuka glared at the man as if he'd just suddenly transformed into a giant floating donkey. "Are you stupid?! Why the hell do you think I was upset?!"

"Aside from the obvious I mean. As you recall, I require complete and total honesty from you. If you do not wish to comply, please let me know now so we can both stop wasting our time."

The smirk never left his face. Asuka wasn't sure what pissed her off more, his smugness, or the fact that, if she were a man, then this character would have her by her figurative balls. Gnashing her teeth, she snorted stubbornly as she stared ahead. "Obviously, you're well aware of the other reason, so what good is forcing me to answer your question going to do?!"

"Well, don't look at it as answering me so much as admitting what you were feeling that day to yourself. Rather than hide that answer behind that mask of rage you wear so splendidly."

"What the hell are you?..." Asuka growled, eyeing the cloaked idiot in disbelief. "My subconscious or a psychiatrist?!" Asuka stuck her nose high in the air, and put some distance between her and this enigma that was guiding her through her memories, all while annoying the holy hell out of her in the process. Not too much though, so that he wouldn't think she was quitting on him. Despite the long silence that followed, the cloaked man gave no indication he felt this way. When Asuka deemed herself ready, she released a long sigh before picking at a very old scab. "That girl… What she said upset me so much because… Because I felt what she said was true! For years I blamed myself for my mother's death… That having to raise me was too much of a burden on her, so she replaced me with a damn doll… Something that she could control, something that could never disappoint her! I wasn't good enough for her… Even when dad cheated, and her colleagues shunned her, and Eva nearly killed her, I wasn't enough of a reason for her to go on living... What kind of horrible daughter must I have been if I wasn't enough reason for her not to take her own life?... Nothing has every made me feel more worthless… I fought the feeling, tried to bury it, and on that day, that girl had to open her mouth like my worthlessness was so apparent that the entire world could see it… She shattered the false reality I'd tried so hard to shield myself with, and she had to pay for it… And to answer you're next question, no I still don't regret it! If I had to do it again, I would pound her face in every time, 100 percent!"

Streaks of recently shed tears covered her face, yet it was hard to tell she'd been crying if you judged by the stern determined look on her face. She glared at the cloaked man as if to dare him to say this answer wasn't honest enough. He just smirked that smug smile that Asuka wished she could slap right off his stupid dumb-ass face. "Interesting… You bear so much guilt for a tragedy that you couldn't possibly be at fault for… I don't believe I gave you enough credit after our first meeting Asuka Langley.

"Can you even say it wasn't my fault?" she snapped, her heart still heavy.

"Your mother was already mentally ill, even before the accident during the Evangelion project completely shattered her grip on reality. Even if you had never been born, her descent into madness was inevitable."

"But I was there… And she didn't love me enough not to string herself up by the neck… Along with that damn doll she replaced me with!"

"Hmm… Perhaps you might be misinterpreting the meaning of that doll your mother doted over…"

Asuka's head snapped around violently. "How so Mr. Head-Shrinker?!"

"You seem convinced that your mother replaced you with that doll because she no longer cared for you… More likely it was the other way around. I'm certain your mother realized she could no longer take proper care of you with her deteriorating mental state. Her method of coping with this was to treat a stuffed child's toy as if it were her own daughter… Someone she couldn't disappoint. Someone who wouldn't look at her with pity and sorrow in their eyes as her mind slowly slipped into the abyss…"

"That's… That's ridiculous," Asuka spat. In all honestly she'd been at a complete loss as how to respond to that.

"No more ridiculous than your theory, but there's little point in splitting hairs… Let's move on, shall we? You said that your father pulled some strings to keep you in school did he? At least that's something rather kind he did for you…"

"That man has never done a damn thing for me out of the kindness of his heart! None of my so-called family has ever been there for me! You know what my father said to me after my near expulsion? Nothing, that's what! No father-daughter talk so I could explain my side of the story… No phone call to even reprimand me for the way I was behaving! The only peep I heard from those people way a very brief visit from my step-mother to let me know what a disappointment I was to her! Like I'd give a damn if I disappointed that home-wrecking skank bitch!..." Asuka's anger faded and her voice grew soft. "Right after the fight I… All I wanted was for someone to hug me and tell me everything was going to be okay… To take my side or at least listen to my side of the story… I never got any support from anyone … I learned young that the only person I could rely on was myself! You can't even rely on your so called family and friends to be there for you unless it's convenient for them. When you need them the most, you turn around and discover they're nowhere to be found!"

"This is true… You have been done a disservice by those you should be able lean on when the burdens of this world threatened to nudge you off that proverbial cliff. I can see why you would choose to shut the world out. It never offered you much after all. That being said though, you would soon learn to trust again wouldn't you?"

"You mean Kaji?" Asuka whispered, a sad smile crossing her face.

"No before that. There was one other you would grow close too before you came into Kaji's care did you not?"

Asuka's eyes widened in horror, knowing exactly where the hooded man was going, and that was a memory long forgotten and better left buried. "No… Please not him…"

The cloaked figure's response was his smirk as the backdrop suddenly changed from a grade school, to a lazy German suburb. Asuka found herself standing in front of an old-fashioned ice cream shop she frequented during her first run through high school. When she started high school, she fled the prestigious walls of her boarding school near her place of birth, for the countryside down east of Munich. Much like Tokyo-3 was married to NERV, the 3rd branch was just as influential in her hometown. This meant that her mother's decent into madness, and her father's scandalous affair were well known and documented in all the city tabloids. The quiet town of Bedburg provided somewhat of a safe haven. People there were well aware of for whom she worked for, and many had heard rumors and gossip but few ever tried or even cared to link Asuka to those stories. It was a chance to escape all the pressures from home, get a fresh start… And to alienate an entirely new group of people, a task she succeeded in with gusto. She'd learned some hard lessons during her time in boarding school, and whether or not those insights she received positively affected her, well that was highly debatable. She was in high school at this point and somehow even younger than her classmates than she had ever been before. She walked into that school the exact same way she'd walk into the boarding school. Her nose stuck up in the air, with a superiority complex that would cripple Charles Manson's under the sheer weight of its ferocity. Obliviously, this made her few friends at school, or around Bedburg. Asuka was at least prepared to be shunned this time around. She'd convinced herself long before she transferred that everyone in her new school would immediately be jealous of her greatness and hateful towards her because of it. She was an Eva Pilot after all, and by then, had developed her well-stated opinion that everyone else around her was inferior to her because of it. These peons trolling the hallways of the school like a bunch of hormone-raging ogres worried about petty things like if Klaus from the Soccer team was going to ask Gretchen out, or if there daddies were going to let them borrow his car that weekend. Hello, she was trying to save the world here! What did you do on your summer vacation? These imbeciles didn't deserve to breathe the same air as she, let alone share a classroom with her.

There was one boy at that educational institution, however, who seemed to look deeper into the soul of that little ball of spite and bile, and found the scared little girl she really was. His name was Yohan, and he was the only person in that infernal hormone factory of an educational institution Asuka considered worthy of associating with. He was seventeen and treated Asuka like a little sister, and the sentiment was returned in true Asuka fashion, meaning she was uncomfortably direct and borderline overbearing... Asuka had even developed a small crush on him, though nothing serious, as she wasn't even a teen yet. Certainly nowhere near Kaji levels of infatuation, but he was someone Asuka had dared herself to trust. Someone she began to open up to, and share some of her darker secrets with… And damn it, if wouldn't turn out to be someone that would make it close to impossible to trust anyone with those secrets ever again.

Asuka remembered this day; it was still painfully fresh in her memory. This ice-cream shop was infamous to her now. It's the day she found out the truth about her so-called friend. It wasn't long before she noticed her high-school self, first go-around anyway, who just happened to be passing by when the fore mentioned Yohan spilled out of the ice cream shop with several of his friends in tow. As he caught her eye, the younger version of Asuka enthusiastically greeted her friend. The young man on the other side of that greeting didn't seem to return her enthusiasm. In fact, he noticeably cringed at the sound of Asuka's voice, and his frown strengthened as his friends snickered at this back.

"Look Yohan, it's your girlfriend," one of the friends snickered. "Didn't you guys have a tea party for your first date?"

Another of Yohan's buddies, who wasn't nearly as amused as the other guy, grumbled into Yohan's ear. "What is the freak doing here? I thought you were going to tell her to buzz off?"

"I hadn't gotten around to it yet!" he grumbled, soft enough that only the three of them could hear. "It's not like I invited her here!"

"Yohan? What's going on?" Asuka asked, concerned by the chilly reception she was getting. "You don't seem happy to see me."

"Why should I be happy to see you?" Yohan didn't seem to want to make eye contact with the redhead at first, but eventually managed to focus his eyes on Asuka trying his best to look stern. "Have you been following me again?"

"Following you?!" Asuka sound confused, and a little angry. "Of course not! Why are you acting so agitated, all I said was hello! We are friends after all aren't we?"

"I know you…" he said with some hesitation, though this did little to slow the plunge of the knife deep into her chest. "Look, I felt sorry for you because of the way some of the other kids were treating you, so I stood up for. That wasn't an invitation for you to be clinging to my backside all the time. You're still just a kid…"

"I'm not being clingy! I just thought…"

Asuka was interrupted by one of Yohan's friends who apparently decided Yohan wasn't being blunt enough. "What Yohan is trying to say, is for you to get lost brat!"

"Yeah, go play with your dolls or something…" both boys paused and looked at one another in mock realization, soon replaced by cruel smiles. "Oh that's right! Little Asuka doesn't like dolls does she?"

"You two shut up!" Yohan snarled, but the damage had been done. Horrified, Asuka took a step back as she struggled to catch her breath.

"Yohan… What did you tell them?!"

Yohan declined to answer, instead attempting to look indifferent though slightly red and refusing to make eye contact with the heartbroken red-head. His two companions, on the other hand, were more than willing to run their mouths. "Enough to understand why you're such a screwed up little brat! Walking in on your mother after she hung herself… That's fucked up."

"Yohan!" Asuka chocked on his name. "How could you tell them?! That was a secret between me and you!"

"I never agreed to keep it a secret," he argued, finally regaining his ability to speak it seemed. "I never even agreed to hear it, you just starting yakking about it. You can't be mad at me for sharing it with my friends. If you didn't want people to know, you should've kept your mouth shut!"

"You… You bastard!"

Yohan didn't seem to have a comeback, and it was lucky for him that Asuka couldn't find anything within arm's reach to use as a projectile. Her face contorted, soured by a now all too familiar cocktail of emotions that had shaped her personality. Shame, betrayal, a strong sense of inferiority, and just plain old reliable hate. If this had happened a few years down the road, Asuka would've launched a verbal, and likely physical, assault that would've driven this poor fool six feet into the ground. On this day though, she was a heartbroken little girl who'd just had her heart stomped on by the one person she'd allowed herself to get close enough too to trust. Trust was something that would soon become nearly impossible for her to show towards anyone even to the present day.

"My, he sure turned out to be quite the charmer…" The cloaked figure had expected an angry retort, but was surprised to instead find Asuka sitting on the ground with her face concealed by her knees. His lips pursed curiously and he could only wager a guess at the reason for her reaction… It was a really good one. "He meant something to you didn't he?"

Asuka's reply was not immediate. She lifted her face off of her legs, and wiped her face with her forearm. "Depends on what you mean by that?"

"The question was quite direct… Now, what did he mean to you? Honesty if you recall…"

"Yeah, whatever!" She snorted as she scooted to her left as her back had been facing her tormentor. "He was a friend… One of the few I had back then. Yes, I did like him a little, but it wasn't remotely serious! I thought he was cute, and he was nice to me… Most people weren't nice to me back then, so it meant a lot…"

Asuka's train of thought screeched to a halt when she noticed the scene had changed. She was now sitting in the bedroom of her boarding house, her legs swinging as they dangled from the bed, much like the school girl she was. Yohan sat next to her listening to her intently, a small sad smile on his face. His smile didn't appear to be forced in the least, but still appeared oddly out of place on the boy's face. The cloaked figured noted this with curiosity as that smile was eerily similar to someone else Asuka knew well. As he pondered this, he turned to Asuka who had again curled into a ball, refusing to even look at the scene laid out in front of her. She remembered this conversation… While the image provided no dialogue, Asuka needed it not, as she had previously committed most of the events of that evening to memory. This was the day when she had poured her heart out to someone she thought cared for her… Someone she could trust with a past that continued to haunt her. That poor naïve girl had no idea she was entrusting her innermost secrets to a snake that would pretty much wipe his hind-end with that trust and utterly destroy her faith in people for years to come.

"Why are you digging these memories back up?..." Asuka's voice cracked. Clearly she was now sobbing. "Are you getting a kick out of tormenting me?!"

"I'm doing no such thing… I was merely curious about this young Yohan…" The cloaked figure studied the young man carefully. "Tell me, what was it about this boy that endeared him to you?"

Asuka snorted prepared to claim he was nothing to her at all and lament about how much of a two-faced maggot he turned out to be, but common sense stopped her. She was smart enough to have picked up on the basic rules of this game the cloaked baka was playing. He didn't want to know how she felt about him now after learning how much of a creep Yohan really was, but rather what she saw in him before this distorted view of him crumbled to dust and scattered to the winds. "He was… He was different. He was kind to me and even a little shy really… He was a boarder like me, so he was away from home and disconnected from his family too. He didn't look down on me like a lot of our classmates… He made me feel like somebody actually cared about me and what I had to say… That was something I really needed back then, so yes he meant a lot to me at the time. Not really in a romantic way, but more like an older brother that's always looking out for you… Then I find out he's a thin-skinned worm who couldn't take the blow his reputation took from befriending me, so he turned his back on me! I probably could've lived with that if he had left well enough alone, but he didn't do that. He didn't just turn his back on me, he betrayed me! He took every secret, every piece of my soul that I offered to him, and used them to nearly destroy me! Life was hell at that school after that. I went from being the bitchy wunderkind to the Eva freak who went crazy after walking in on her mother hanging herself! And all because he couldn't take a little teasing from his friends?! I meant so little to him that he was willing to utterly destroy me in order to save face with those losers!"

"Interesting…" he mouthed though the way he was eyeing Yohan, Asuka couldn't tell if he was referring to the boy or what she had just said. "That wistful expression on his face… He quite does remind me of someone, but I just can't put my finger on it…"

Asuka had turned red. She turned her head and snorted angrily. "Don't talk stupid! I know what you're getting at… You're trying to say that Yohan reminds you of the baka right?!"

"I didn't say that," he smirked coyly. "There are similarities in the facial features now that you mention it… Especially in that melancholy almost forced looking smile... Like he's grinning straight through the weight of the world resting squarely on his shoulders. Could this possibly be one of the reasons you're so resentful of Shinji? Because he reminds you of someone you dared to trust, yet violated that trust so maliciously?"

Asuka blanched before shaking her head vehemently though her companion could tell the red-head's actions were not merely a wordless denial. It was more a sign of her frustrated submission that this guy seemed all too aware of every dark little secret of Asuka's, that she thought she had left dead and buried. The cloaked figure wondered if Asuka fully grasped that he was merely a figment of her sub-consciousness, specifically representing the parts of herself and memories that were less than pleasant. Goodness did she have a lot of those. The cloaked figure gave Asuka ample time to articulate a response, but the long silence that followed eventually got to him. "Well? Was I close?"

Asuka shook her head yet again. "No!... I mean yes… I mean, I don't know! Yes, Shinji does remind me of Yohan, a little bit?... Yohan wasn't nearly as much of a wimp as Shinji, and he was better looking but… Still…"

A short paused ensued until he urged her to continue. "Go on…"

"It's hard to put into words but… Shinji is different. He's more real if that makes any sense… When he says something prudent or makes a promise, I can tell he's being sincere… He doesn't open up much, like me, but when he does, I feel he's being honest in here…" Asuka pounds on her chest to illustrate her point. "It's every other part of my being that's the problem, as they scream at me that nothing but lies are coming out of Shinji's mouth and he's going to end up hurting me just like everyone else has that I've ever let get close to me! After all, I used to think all those same things about Yohan, and you saw what kind of creep he turned out to be. In a lot of ways Shinji is just like him…"

"Yes, but he's not Yohan… He is Shinji Ikari, an individual entity all to himself and by no means fated to repeat the sins of his predecessor regardless of how many menial similarities they might share."

"I know that!" She snorted stubbornly. "Believe it or not though, I barely even think about that. Of course I noticed the similarities, but I don't think of or see Yohan when I look at Shinji… All I see is a boy getting dangerously close to touching a part of me I haven't allowed anyone to get near in years… Even if Shinji reminded me nothing of Yohan, I'd be just as confused, and frustrated by him as I am now…"

"Excellent points… Simply accepting the fact that you're confused about these feelings instead of simply denying they exist is a step in the right direction. If you truly wish to heal and better yourself, you first have to want to accomplish these things."

"I'm here listening to your dribble aren't I?! Isn't that proof enough that I'm willing to try?!"

"I'm not the one you need to convince dear Asuka… In reality it's yourself you're fighting with. Opening up honestly to me is one thing, but applying these lessons in the real world is an entirely different matter, and a task that will be extraordinarily difficult for you."

"So, you're saying all this gabbing and sightseeing through my most bitter memories has been a colossal waste of my time then?"

"Not at all… I'm merely reminding you that change will not happen overnight... As well as remind you that, as difficult as it is for you to speak on a personal level with me, merely a representative of your own subconscious, it's going to be that much more difficult to apply what you learn with me in the real world. Before today, even squeezing the information I have out of you was thought to be impossible. Baby steps in the right direction are par for the course when it comes to healing. Remember though, if you don't apply what you learn here today in the real world, then our little excursion will definitely be a waste of time."

Asuka sat in annoyed silence, having heard nothing she didn't already know, but fought off the urge to respond with an emphatic 'duh'. She may have if this wasn't exactly what she had expected him to say, and she wasn't the least bit sure why it irritated her so much. She supposed she must've imagined that hearing those words from another pair of lips would put them in a unique less jumbled perspective. She was dead wrong on that front. "You look all smug and sure of your message while your gums are flapping, like everything you say is so obvious and simple, and yet like some soapbox preacher hurling fire and brimstone at everyone within earshot, you seem to neglect or just plain don't care to understand the inner workings of your audience. You make all of this sound so easy, as if any dullard could see and overcome it. Apparently you forget who I am! It's just not as simple as pretending I've never been hurt before in my life, about my mother, or that other asshole who pretty much set my social life back another twenty years!... Do you really think anything you've told me tonight is news to me? If I wasn't aware of how messed up I was, then I certainly wouldn't be here talking… To whatever the hell you are! Maybe this mess I'm in is a sign that I've already lost my mind... This world here with you has become my reality and the world outside this place is nothing but a hallucination…"

"Oh my, that's quite deep. Let's be careful not to break the fourth wall here Asuka Langley. We don't want you to start believing you're an anime character or anything of the like… Still, since you still seem to be struggling to understand me, let me try to explain it to you one more time. Of course you're already aware of everything I tell you. I was created from you, so all I do know is what you now…" The cloaked figure approached Asuka slowly, not menacingly at all, but seeing this floating apparition advancing on her still made her nervous… Especially now that he was right up in her face, forcing Asuka to step back to try and put some distance between them. With each word he spoke and each step back she took, he still seemed to get closer and closer. "My presence here is to remind you of what needs to be done, to force you to face what needs to be overcome… It's my job to remind you of these things… I will not allow you to run, hide, or deny regardless of how painful these memories might be to you, or how pointless you might believe everything I tell you to be. To put it simply Asuka Langley, you created me as defense against yourself… I am everything you are, I know everything you know. I'm every bit as intelligent, every bit as confident, and every bit as stubborn as you… I won't allow you to continue burying yourself."

The cloaked figure stopped his advance, as he could judge from the look on her face that she understood. He was not ignorant to his accomplishment either. He'd just rendered Asuka Soryu speechless, and suddenly looking somewhat intimidated by him. That creepy smile of his had never once left his face as he spoke. "Now then, I'm glad that's settled. Now, let's not forget who you are. You are the great Asuka Langley Soryu, are you not? Capable of accomplishing anything she sets her mind to. Since when are you afraid of anything? I should be little more than another challenge for you to overcome. If you don't like what I'm saying, then by all means… Let's work on proving me wrong."

Silence lingered for several moments, before something happened the cloaked figure hadn't fully expected to see. He noticed Asuka's hand move as she flexed the appendage several times, a quark reminiscent of a certain young man they would frequently mention. The figure couldn't help but smile. "Ah, now that's determination in your eyes. That's the Asuka Langley I've been waiting to see."

Asuka smiled slightly at this, though only momentarily. "You're right… If I want to improve myself I have work at it… Obsess over it just like I did with School and Eva if I have too… I can't crawl into myself like that idiot Shinji, expecting that things will never get better… I can do anything I put my mind to… This should be no different."

"Excellent," Asuka's monotone companion said as he floated next to her, almost sounding excited. "You've taken the first major step towards healing by showing you're serious in regards to improving yourself. Let's face facts, this wasn't always the case. Your anger and your arrogance have long been your shield from the pain you've convinced yourself comes hand-in-hand with getting close to other human beings." Asuka said nothing, which was all the hooded figure needed to not hear to know he was right. "I want you to do two things for me when you wake up in the morning Asuka."

Asuka looked to him expectantly, not uttering a word. "First, I want you to look in the mirror and tell yourself that you're not responsible for your mother's suicide. She took her own life because her mental illness made life too much for her to bear, not because of any lack of affection she had for you." Asuka looked aghast by this suggestion but nodded affirmatively anyway. "Do so every morning as necessary until you're able do so without it sounding like a lie. If you want to kill a troublesome weed, you go for its roots. Secondly, whenever you look at Shinji for that next several days I want you to tell yourself that he's not Yohan, and he doesn't deserve to have to pay for Yohan's sins. I know these aren't easy tasks, but we both know easy was never part of this equation."

"It'll be fine… Like you said, I am Asuka Langley Soryu after all."

"Let's hope you live up to your reputation… Or down to it? I'm not quite sure on that point, oh well… Good luck to you Asuka."

Asuka stared back at him confused, wondering why he seemed like he was saying goodbye. That's when she heard a familiar voice calling her name. "Asuka!"

Asuka awoke with a start, like she'd just been dragged out of bed by her ankles and then drug around the room a couple of times before getting slammed into the wall. She forced her eyes open and gradually the blurry image of a concerned looking Shinji stared back at her. Stuck in a majorly thick fog from her over indulgence of sleeping pills the night before, it took Asuka a few moments to process the information assaulting her heavy retinas. Shinji… My room… What the fuck?! "Third?!... What the hell are you doing in my room?!"

"Oh, thank goodness!" Shinji sighed in relief, seeming to not even hear what Asuka had just asked if not just ignoring it entirely. It would've irritated Asuka if she still wasn't so blasted sleepy. "You're awake! You had us scared half to death!"

"You haven't answered my question Third…" Asuka grumbled sleepily. "Why the hell are you in my room?! You better not have taken advantage of me while I slept perv!"

Again, Shinji seemed to ignore his deeply ingrained instincts to cower in fear, perhaps forgetting he'd been lingering in the bedroom of someone with the morning disposition of a pissed off honey badger. Shinji smiled, slightly teary-eyed, almost unnoticeable really, and clearly relieved. Whether the redhead was simply shocked that this human doormat wasn't sniveling at her feet, or was just too damn sleepy to care, Asuka decided to spare Shinji's life despite the intrusion. "I'm sorry… You wouldn't wake up for anything this morning… I was checking up on you when I saw you stir and… Now you're awake… Yeah."

Asuka paused, recalling the sleeping pills she'd taken the night before which led her to remember the events of her dream the night before. She sat their quietly for quite some time, Shinji silently watching her with a new wave of concern washing over him. Asuka's eyes suddenly lit up, breaking free of her trance. "What time is it?"

Shinji was hesitant. "A little after 11:00…"

"11:00! Damn, I really did overdo the dosage…" Asuka palmed her head bore her glare returned to the Third Child. It would seem that every question she'd got answered would lead her to another question. "Why are you still here? Shouldn't you be in school?"

"Well yeah but… Misato had already gone to NERV this morning, and not knowing what was wrong, I didn't want to leave you here by yourself…"

Asuka's eyes widened as she stares at the boy. "Idiot…" she says softly as she turns her head not wanting Shinji to see the rapidly forming blush spreading across her face. "I took one sleeping pill too many last night, and had trouble waking up, that's all… It's not like I was hurt or sick or anything that would require you to look after me… Nothing you had to miss school over anyway…"

"I didn't know that at the time… I wouldn't have been able to forgive myself if I just left you here and something really was wrong with you. If one day of school is what it costs to have peace of mind, then I'm okay with that…"

Shinji stared at the floor shyly as Asuka's eyes again bore into him, seemingly in an attempt to burn a hole through his skin and burrow inside. Asuka looked into Shinji's eyes… Sad but caring eyes that held no deceit, only genuine concern for a girl he had every right to hate and probably should. Those eyes were so familiar… So comforting and so reminiscent of a past that had taught her that eyes like that told nothing but lies. Eyes were nothing but tools used by men to try and pry the very heart and soul out of any woman unfortunate enough to fall under their spell. An angry snarl curled over Asuka's lips. Sensing Asuka's demeanor towards him was deteriorating rapidly, Shinji began slowly backpedaling towards the door. He braced himself for the unholy torrent of flames and bile about to be hurled in his direction, but something held her back. With a grimace the likes Shinji had never seen on her face, she clutched at her bed-sheets instead of Shinji's neck. She completely ignored Shinji's concerned questioning stare, keeping her entire focus on maintaining her composure. _"Remember Asuka… He's not Yohan! He's not Yohan! Shinji may have his smile, but he's not like that creep! He's not here to do anything perverted, he was just worried about you… That's a good thing right?"_

"Asuka?" Shinji asked expectantly as if noticing Asuka finally remembered he was in the room with her.

"There's no reason to worry about me you idiot…" she finally said with virtually no edge to her favorite insult. "Now get out. I'm still not totally awake yet…."

"Right… I'll leave you be then. I need to call Misato and let her know you're okay anyway." Shinji hurriedly left the room, but stopped in the doorway, looking back to ask a quick question. "Hey, are you hungry? It's too late for breakfast, but if you want I could make you…"

Shinji was interrupted by a loud snore. Asuka's face was reburied in her pillow and she was sound asleep. A small smiled tugged at his lips but he had to ask himself. "How many sleeping pills did she take?"

Shinji headed straight for the kitchen, deciding to go ahead and whip up something so Asuka would have something at the ready to eat for whenever she did wake up and decide she was hungry. He didn't have any special or ulterior reason for doing so either. He wasn't trying to stay on her good side, he wasn't expecting gratitude, nor was he afraid she'd be angry if she did wake up expecting to find something to eat. He just felt like doing it, a thought that only occurred to him in passing half way through the process. He shrugged his shoulders, before reaching to open one of the utensil drawers to retrieve one of the tools needed to complete Asuka's lunch. He found said utensil and something else he never would've thought he'd ever find there. He removed the black rectangular object from the drawer along with the accessory that was typically attached to it.

"What's my STADT player doing in the utensil drawer?" He asked to apparently any wandering ghost or spirit that might just happen to passing through the Katsuragi kitchen at that given time. He had misplaced the device several days before, and after a good ransacking of Misato's apartment, had concluded he must've misplaced it somewhere outside of the apartment. He'd begun to fear he may never see that device again, something that at one time, was basically an extension of his body. In fact, he was fairly sure he'd checked that very drawer. With another shrug, he stuffed the STADT into his pocket and shifted his attention back to Asuka's lunch.

* * *

Shinji stared blankly at his STADT player. For the life of him, he wasn't sure anymore why he even kept the thing around. Yes, this simple device provided a barrier between him and the world for so long, though it was every bit as important to him because it once belonged to his father… It was the one piece of either of his parents he had left to cling too after his mother died and his father abandoned him soon after. Shinji's attitude towards his father had soured drastically since Third Impact. He'd gone from desperately longing to gain Gendo's approval and love, to feeling abject hatred for the man and everything Gendo Ikari stood for. What that man put his own child through just to make his own delusions a reality… Like his mother would want anything to do with Gendo after what he'd done to her only son.

Since that time, Shinji would've loved nothing more than to eliminate that man entirely from his memory, and here lately, this object that at one time was his most precious possession, began to represent Gendo more than it did the shield from the outside world he so often used it as. Yet, when he thought he'd lost that device, it felt like he'd lost a piece of himself, and to some small degree that disgusted him. Oddly enough though, the world didn't end in its absence… Nor did he feel any great relief now that the object was within the grasp of his hand once again. This thing that made him feel whole once again, and yet so utterly empty inside at the same time. Maybe he should've pretended he never lost the damn thing and simply should've forced himself to move on without it. It would've been like cutting off his hand, though it was a hand that had been possessed by a demon and was now trying to kill you, so you were just justified in severing said appendage from your body. Kind of like that guy from that movie, who instead of bitching about losing said hand, simply replaced it with a kick-ass new chainsaw hand.

What did this STADT player mean to him now? He was utterly confused about that, and whenever he couldn't make sense of things he did the only thing her knew to do. He stuffed his ear buds in his ears, and hit play. Damn it… The cycle continues.

The familiar works of Beethoven and Bach were not what greeted him as the tape started to role. It was something else entirely… A voice from the past, and hearing it nearly made Shinji jump out of his skin. "Hello Shinji… This is not a prank, nor a hoax. It really is me… Kaji…"

Shinji had already gathered that from the voice, but hearing him say his name… That just really hammered the nail home, through the wood, and straight into his hand. He started to sweat a bit as he clasped tightly onto the device. "I promise I'll explain everything in time, for now I need you to trust me and listen closely to what I have to say. Your life and those of everyone you hold dear, hang on what I'm about to tell you. I must also ask you not to tell anyone that I've made contact with you. Not Misato, not Asuka not anyone… I was quite reluctant to get you involved, but the situation has devolved to a point that I had no choice. I needed someone inside NERV, and there's no one else I could think of that I would trust more to take this task to heart like you will Shinji…"

Shinji gulped, trying desperately to moisten his throat, but it just kept going dry. This was unbelievable! How did this tape wind up in his STADT player? Was he listening to the voice of a ghost? Was this a recording made by Kaji before had died, or was he still alive out there somewhere doing his weird ass James Bond shit that had gotten him killed in the first place? Most curiously of all, what could Kaji possibly be entrusting him with? All he could do was listen, and after a brief pause, Kaji continued. Shinji would later note that he likely had never heard Kaji sound as unsure of himself as he did on this recording.

"I'd like to begin by saying I'm sorry… For everything I'm sure the three of you must have gone through after my glorious death." Shinji noted the emptiness in Kaji's laugh. At least this answered one question. Kaji apparently was very much alive. "It was deemed a necessary step though. SELEE was determined to see me dead, so we gave them what they wanted. Being a ghost is actually quite advantageous to my line of work. There's no better spy than the one the enemy thinks is dead after all. As for my employer's objective, well it's nothing short of the total annihilation of the group known as SEELE. We've done a damn good job of it too… Only a handful of SEELE operatives remain, and the few that do have nowhere near the means or power to try and pull off something as grand as Instrumentally. That doesn't mean their incapable of causing problems though. If fact, one of their driving focuses right now is revenge… Revenge against those responsible for putting a halt to Instrumentally. You've probably already guessed that means yourself, Misato, and your fellow pilots. We're still in the dark concerning how they plan to extract their revenge, but we fear the day they act may be soon. We know they have at least one high ranking agent within NERV, which I'm not proud to say, we've been unable to identify at this point."

"I must apologize again for coming to you like this Shinji, but I'm on my knees begging you if you can imagine that… Ha, ha… My own superiors have no idea I've contacted you, and it's going to stay that way for now. I can't stand the thought of seeing you, Misato, or Asuka getting hurt and I knew your desire to protect them would be just as strong as mine… I can understand if you don't want to get involved, and that's fine. If that's how you feel, just pretend you never received this tape and I won't bother you again. If you decide to get involved, pay a visit to that western-style burger joint I took you and Asuka too shortly before… My accident and you'll find another tape with the information I've been able to gather. Again, I ask you not to tell anyone you've heard from me, you'll be putting their lives in danger if you do. I'm afraid I've already put your life at further risk but reaching out the way I have. Whatever you decide Shinji… Good luck, and God's speed."

The tape ended abruptly on that odd quote. Shinji had never pegged Kaji as the religious type, but then he had technically come back from the dead. Then again, maybe he was making too much out of a figure of speech. Shinji removed his ear buds and let them fall to the bed next his head as it fell to his pillow. Had he really heard what he'd just heard? Had Kaji really reached out from beyond the grave to warn Shinji that SEELE wanted to put him in one of his own? If everything Kaji said was true, vague as the information was, how could he not tell Asuka and Rei? Or Misato for that matter, they had the right to know. He wouldn't tell them though… Because Kaji had asked him not to, and he had Shinji pegged to a tee. Shinji removed the tape from the player, and examined it as if the outer casing held some sort of secret information Kaji neglected to provide on the recording itself. Shinji guessed there was really only one way to figure out what was going on. He needed to hear what was on that other tape.

* * *

There was purpose in each of Aeri Shuei's steps as she marched towards the place she called home. There was such a thing as going through the motions, and Aeri was the very picture of that expression as she walked up the steps to her apartment looking as if the rest of the world didn't exist, except for whatever just happened to reside in the small figurative bubble that surrounded her. She unlocked the door and upon entering, the first thing you would notice is how small the apartment is, small even by Japanese standards. The décor couldn't have been simpler, consisting of a couch and a coffee table. The tiny kitchen was even more barren than the sitting room. No television, no refrigerator, no stove, not even a bed or a futon. She rarely even used the couch. She didn't take visitors so she made no attempt whatsoever to even create the façade that this part of the apartment was even in use. Where Aeri spent most of her time was located beyond the door in the back of the sitting room. Beyond that door was a long staircase that led to the basement… This floor of the apartment was as equally unimpressive as the upstairs, but at least here you could find the basic necessities of life… Basic that was, if Aeri had been born in Europe in the 1500's… The basement unit consisted of one relatively large room. There was only one interior wall, a mirror and sink in one corner, a bed and a couple of wooden chairs. One section that was partially separated from the rest of the room by a single half slab of stone, looked suspiciously like some sort of primitive dungeon. More suspicious yet, was the presence of a young man seated in that section with his wrists bolted to the wall above his head. He was looking much too coy for a man in his position.

Aeri paid the young man no attention as she walked passed him and straight to the mirror. She examined herself in said mirror, finding herself increasingly disgusted by what she saw.

"I don't understand it…" she complained as she played with the skin just below her left eye. "My skin is flawless. My face is attractive but not glaringly so as to not intimidate anyone. My curves and body type are the right proportion in every key spot, and should please any young man. The shell I've created is flawless, so why is it that Shinji can still resist me?! Is his bond with the Second Child really that strong? All outward appearances would suggest this shouldn't be the case. I should be the ideal partner for Shinji Ikari, so how is it that he still prefers *her* to me!"

"That's the funny thing about the Lilin…" the voice of the imprisoned boy spoke, unsolicited. "Many of their bonds are weak and easily splintered, however some… Well, some are so strong that neither time nor circumstance can seem to overcome them."

"I was speaking to myself rhetorically," Aeri spat angrily. "I have no want or need for the counsel of a traitor!"

"My apologies," he said smugly. "I truly believed you were having trouble seeing the shortcomings of your little scheme, so I thought I'd enlighten you. If you wish though, I'll just sit here quietly and watch you fail."

"Fail?" Aeri snorted. "Oh, I will so enjoy disappointing you. I have no intention of failing… I will succeed were our brothers and sisters failed… I will not make the same mistake father made…"

"Mistake? Father?... Surly you jest, what mistake would that be?"

"Trusting you to pass judgment on humankind! You sided with the Lilin, and you betrayed us! After they murdered all our siblings…"

"Again, you show your ignorance sister… Our brothers and sisters were never killed, they simply returned to a collective state of being as is our true form. We were never meant to have the bodies father gifted us to test the Lilin. All the Lilin killed were the shells father had temporally given us so we could take physical form on Earth. That hardly constitutes murder, especially considering they were defending themselves."

"Well imagine that, the great Tabris defending the Lilin… Does you treachery have no limit? If father had entrusted me to destroy the Lilin, the Earth would've been cleansed and belonged to us again!"

"Once again, you prove you understand nothing child! You were never chosen to test the Lilin, because father knew you were too immature and unstable. There was little point in sending a child who was incapable of understanding the true scope of what we were trying to accomplish on Earth. Your recent actions have done nothing but prove what I say to be accurate."

"Silence!" Aeri emphasized the point by striking Tabris across the face with the back of her hand. "I know good and well what our purpose was! You're the one who perverted that purpose to meet your own warped desires! Father entrusted you with the final phase, and you spat in all our faces!"

"Ignorant child…" Tabris sighed. "Stop and think for a moment sister. If I'm such a traitor, so despised for my failure by father, then why am I here? My body was crushed by the hands of the Third Child, and thus my brief life as an angel in human form came to an end. Yet, father saw it appropriate to send me back in my human form. Why do you think that is Aeri?"

"How should I know?..." Her eyes thinned, the look in them hinting she'd been wondering that very thing. "Maybe it was so you could burn with your precious humanity."

"Did you ever stop to think that just maybe father is testing you?"

"Of course it did! And I won't fail like you did!"

"Indeed… Explain something to me though Aeri… Why go to all this trouble with the Third Child? You've certainly gotten close enough to him by now… You could kill him anytime you want. Why string things along?"

"Because simply killing him isn't good enough…" Pure venom and hate radiated from every poor in Aeri's body. "I want to destroy him… Heart, mind, body, and soul… Only when I've won his heart, only then will I rip it from his chest while it's still beating!" Aeri got right up into her brother's face, smiling wickedly as she continued. "And just maybe I'll let you watch as I snuff the life out of your precious Shinji Ikari… Kaworu…"

Kaworu's smile evaporated. "You underestimate him Aeri… And overestimate yourself… A dangerous and potentially lethal combination."

"We'll see about that…" Aeri frowned, as she turned her back to her fellow Angel. She remarked snidely as she walked back up the stairs. "You sit there and continue to rot… I've got work to do. The human race isn't going to exterminate itself… At least not quickly enough for my taste."

Kaworu held his stern look until the light disappeared as Aeri closed the upstairs door behind her. He allowed a smirk to find his lips, as he easily slipped his hands out of his restraints. He stood up and after massaging his wrists, he leaned back against the wall of the dungeon looking bored. He'd have to pretend he was Aeri's prisoner just a little longer… Ha, the very thought that his poor baby sister believed she was strong enough to keep him under her control was downright adorable. Hopefully, Aeri's little plot would unravel itself before she could hurt anyone… Or herself for that matter. Oh well, he had some time before Aeri would return. And it just so happened that Tabris had somewhere he needed to be.

End of Chapter 6

 _-Didn't really intend to drop both bombs in the same chap, but that's how it worked out. They both just seem to fit at the end here. Should have the next chapter in approximately two weeks. It's a 28 page beast so it's going to take some time to edit and fine tune. Now Shinji has his own mystery to deal with while Asuka's busy working on herself. The setup chapters are official over with. All the players have been revealed for who they are, and it's time for the story to start moving forward._


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

"Damn it I'm starving… Let's stop somewhere and get some grub," Toji griped, as his stomach growled in agony for lack of sustenance. He'd been wandering the streets of Tokyo-3 with his friends, and like so many other kids their age, with no clear idea on where they were headed. Toji finally took up the mantle of being the first to make an authoritative decision, even if that decision didn't reach any farther than slightly altering their course towards lunch. Shinji, his friend with whom he shared a more similar mindset with, despite their somewhat contrasting personalities, offered no help as he seemed to be distracted by something. He made note to ask Shinji about this later, after he appeased the beast living deep inside the bowels of his stomach. His other friend Kensuke, who was rarely helpful to begin with, was even less help then Shinji. His answer to Toji's suggestion was the same answer Kensuke had for just about everything. He stuck his camera in the jock's face.

"And that noise you hear is the sound of one the most fearsome and insatiable beasts in all of Tokyo-3. Toji Suzahara's stomach!"

"Get that thing out of my face Aida!" Toji took a swipe at his friend's camera, but the Outtake-Supreme was a bit too quick for him. "Otherwise you'll be eating it for lunch!"

Kensuke chuckled and continued to film, as Toji chased him in circles around Shinji, the later whom was vaguely aware of his friend's antics. Kensuke would've been content to continue his obnoxious behavior if he hadn't suddenly recalled what happened to the last person who had gotten between Toji Suzahara and a meal. "Alright, alright, I'll put the camera up for a while… Gesh, you're almost impossible to deal with when you're hungry Toji."

"Then let's please rectify that problem!"

"Say…" Shinji spoke up suddenly. "There's that burger place you like Toji… Why don't we stop there?"

"Wha… Awe sweet!" Toji grabbed Kensuke by the arm. "Let's go, you're paying Kensuke."

"What? Wait, why am I paying?!"

"Would you rather pay for a new camera?!" Toji growled. Kensuke took the threat seriously and submitted. Apparently Kensuke he'd forgotten that Toji had covered his meal the last time.

"Fine, but just this once!" Kensuke couldn't believe it. You know you're an uber-nerd when your own friends are shaking you down for lunch money.

"You guys head over without me…" Shinji added abruptly. "I'll catch up, there's something I have to do real quick." Toji stopped and looked back at Shinji with questioning look on his face. Kensuke obliviously continued towards the restaurant. Shinji smiled shyly and shrugged his shoulders. "Really, it won't take me long. I'll join you guys in a few minutes."

Toji's eyebrow rose, clearly wanting a better explanation from Shinji, but his growling stomach overruled him. He nodded back at Shinji, deciding he'd worry about his friend later, after he got something in his stomach. Toji followed Kensuke inside the restaurant, and once he was out of sight, Shinji made his move. He ducked into the alley behind the restaurant, where the garbage dumpsters were kept. He thought back to the moment when he found that old tape player and how it made absolutely no sense how his precious STADT had wound up in seemingly the most random of places. Thinking back, it now made perfect. Somehow, Kaji had planted it there for him to find. It took a minute of searching, but Shinji finally found something… A cassette tape, taped underneath the lid of the dumpster. Just as Kaji's first message, the tape was identical to the type of cassette Shinji had played at least once for everyday of his life. Dying to hear what was on that tape, he had to fight off the urge to slap that puppy in his STADT and listen to whatever Kaji had to say. He knew better though, in fact he had left that infernal machine at home so he wouldn't have to worry about his willpower waning. He would listen to that tape tonight in the comfort of his own bed while the rest of Tokyo-3 slept soundly in their beds. Feeling a small rush of adrenaline surge through his bones, he couldn't help but smile at it. He'd never really been involved in something so daring that didn't involve hiding behind a gigantic purple monster. By accepting that tape, Shinji Ikari was throwing himself head first into the world of espionage. Damn, he really hoped he didn't live to regret this….

Toji had wolfed down his lunch faster than should've been humanly possible, at least that's what his friend Kensuke Aida would've believed before today. He himself had yet to even put a dent in his lunch, a simple order of chili-cheese fries, more than enough food for him. Yes, he was a teenager, but he was barely a hundred pounds soaking wet while carrying three bowling balls and a Pug. As was inevitable, seconds following the uncanny disappearance of Toji's food, and he was already bumming fries off of Kensuke. His stomach now closer to feeling satisfied than it had been twenty minutes ago, Toji finally got around to noticing the third member of their troop was still missing. "What is taking Shinji so long? He said he'd only be a minute, and he'd be right behind us."

"Are you sure you didn't accidentally eat him?"

Toji gave Kensuke an unamused glare. "I'm not playing around Kensuke… Haven't you noticed Shinji acting weird today?"

"Normal weird, or weird for Shinji?"

"Both… He's been quiet even for him," Toji said thoughtfully as he stretched out, arms draped across his side of the booth. "Whatever he's been thinking about it, it doesn't involve hanging out with us…"

Kensuke looked thoughtful momentarily, but his response hinted that he wasn't really trying. "He probably just got into another fight with the she-devil. He always acts a little more withdrawn when she's on his case."

"No, I don't think it's that… He doesn't seem upset or nothing. I just get the sense his mind is somewhere else."

"That doesn't surprise me… Doesn't worry me either. Don't forget, he is still an Eva Pilot and he still works for NERV… I'm sure he has all sorts of things on his mind that normal kids like us couldn't even begin to fathom."

"Yeah…" Toji agreed distantly, recalling his own brief experience with NERV. He could attest first hand at how working for that place, and piloting one of those monstrosities could fuck with your head. He stared at his arm, the one he had lost during his first and only fight in the entry plug of an Eva. When Toji had emerged from instrumentality, the arm and leg he had lost had miraculously returned with him. Toji never could grasp how this would even be possible… Then again, the entire human race being reduced to soup and then brought back to life made no sense either. In all honestly, he'd probably only be mildly surprised if he'd come back with heat vision and speaking Greek. Toji tended not to let things that happened in the past bother him much, nor did he sweat the little things such as the fabric of reality being ripped a new hole. He worried about his friends, his sister, Hikari, and his next meal… That's what he cared about, so anything else going on in the world wasn't his problem.

"Hey guys, sorry to keep you waiting," announced the missing stooge himself, as Shinji snuck up to the booth at Toji's back.

"Man, I thought you said you'd be right behind us…" Toji said groggily, resting his hands behind his head. "What was so important that it couldn't wait until after lunch? We could've gone with you."

"It's not a big deal. I just had to pick up something for Misato… It would've bored you guys anyway."

"What exactly did you have to pick up for Misato?" Kensuke poked his nose in as he adjusted his glasses. "I don't see you holding any bags or anything…"

"Hey yeah…" Toji perked up, now curious himself. He had only asked in the first place hoping Shinji would spill what he'd been up, and maybe shed some light on exactly what had Shinji so distracted. Now all he could think about was Misato.

"Nothing important really… Something woman related and trust me, that's all you want to know…"

"Woman related?" Kensuke seemed overexcited as Shinji had feared. "Ewe sounds scandalous. It's not something racy that you're embarrassed to talk about is it?"

"It was something racy was it? Like woman's panties!" Considering the images that must've been flashing through Toji's mind, it would seem a small miracle he had enough blood left over for his face to turn red, considering where most of it was obviously headed.

"No, you doofus!" Shinji shouted, horrified. "Why would Misato send me out to buy her panties?! Look perverts, Misato asked me to pick her up something designed for ladies during a certain time of the month if you catch my drift…"

Kensuke blanched, understanding immediately and wanted to drop the conversation that very second. Toji still looked confused though, causing both of his friends to sweat-drop. Shinji sighed, knowing he'd have to try and explain more clearly so the jock could understand. "Misato is going through that time of the month every woman does… You know, that thing you accuse Asuka of having 365 days out of the year?"

It took another second, but Toji finally got the picture, and this time reacted accordingly. Meaning he spazed out, and for a second thought he might lose his lunch. "Okay, I get it! That's enough!... Damn, that's a visual I didn't need…"

"I warned you guys…" Shinji snickered fighting back a heartier laugh. He silently thanked Misato for the rather unusual advice she'd given him shortly after he had moved in with her. He had just recently made friends with Toji and Kensuke, and at the time, they both had massive crushes on her. He'd confided in Misato on how best to handle his friends over-zealous affections for Shinji's caretaker. "It's simple… If the guys are bugging you about a girl, just find a way to bring up their period in the conversation. Trust me, there's nothing that'll kill a conversation among men about girls faster than bringing up her lady times."

Shinji smiled at the irony. He never thought in a million years he'd ever put that tactic to use, but she was right… It sure shut those two the hell up. The silence held firm until the waitress came around and took Shinji's order, as well as another order of chili-cheese fries for Toji who again insisted they were on Kensuke. This was much to the Military-Otaku's dismay, considering Toji had pretty much devoured Kensuke's own fries. Equally annoying was the lack of support he received from his other friend Shinji, but that didn't really surprise Kensuke… Shinji always tended to side with Toji, and vice-versa whether they realized it or not.

As much as Kensuke tried not to let this bother him it did. He saw it start to happen after Toji was selected as the Fourth Child, and it continued after they returned from instrumentality. Kensuke guessed that their experiences with Eva had brought them closer together, but it was undeniable that Shinji looked up to Toji and Toji was extremely protective of Shinji. To their credit they had never treated Kensuke any differently. He was always included in whatever they did, and Kensuke and Toji still spent more time together than either one of them did with Shinji. Toji didn't treat Kensuke any different than he had before they met Shinji… With a couple of minor exceptions, like how Shinji was often spared the brunt of the teasing Toji seemed to increasingly enjoy inflicting on him, though Kensuke would confess that he often brought a lot of it onto himself. There were also these irritated looks the pair would shoot between each other and then direct at him whenever Kensuke went into one of his Otaku episodes. Little things like that made Kensuke feel like he was slowly becoming a third wheel on a wagon that, quite frankly, he was on first. Not that this mattered in the end, but that's just how he felt sometimes. To make matters worse, the crux of this change in their friendship dynamics had everything to do with their experience as Eva Pilots. It was a position that Kensuke would've given his right arm to be in, and subsequently a position that both Shinji and Toji would've given their left arms if it meant Kensuke could take their place. Ironically for Toji, he literally had along with one of his legs.

Thankfully these weren't common thoughts for the otaku-supreme, as they were fleeting at best. Something to file away and remember later when Kensuke needed something to grind his gears about. Besides, the rest of the food was here, and Kensuke was damn determined to get some of those fucking fries this time. This devolved into a friendly but slightly heated battle between two old buddies that, yes, involved flinging food at one another. Shinji, who almost never got involved in his friends antics, ate his meal quietly. The nonsense finally ended when Toji realized that each fry that hit the ground, was one less fry that would land in his mouth. Childish tomfoolery overridden by a teenage stomach. Several minutes passed in relative peace. Kensuke broke the silence by tossing a figurative hand grenade onto the table.

"Hey guys… What are you two planning to do with your lives after we get out of school?"

Toji nearly choked on a fry, as both he and Shinji glared at Kensuke as if a miniature Eva was dancing atop his head. Toji in particular seemed annoyed by the question. "Dude, don't go there… We're just hanging out, don't be making things all weird by bringing that 'what are you going to do with your life' crap in here!"

"But I'm serious! We have one month left in this school term and after that, our senior year in high school… That's it! Like it or not, in about 14 months our lives are going to change drastically whether we like it or not! Are we all going to try to get into college, are we going to stay in Tokyo 3? I know the future is something neither of you like to think about, but it's sneaking up on us faster than you realize. Personally, I want to be ready for life after high school, and you guys should be taking this seriously too…"

Shinji looked thoughtful as he processed Kensuke's advice, while Toji seemed to be trying to do the math in his head. Either that or he was trying not to fart. Unable to find any evidence that Kensuke's math was wrong, Toji grunted and leaned back in their booth. "Hell if I know… I can't see myself going to school for another four years. I'll be happy just to graduate with the rest of you… I can always go to work for my dad, so I don't really have to worry about finding a job. His work is boring as hell, but better than nothing…"

"No college huh…" Kensuke stated more than asked, sounding disappointed. Kensuke knew college was in his future, he was just hoping he wasn't the only one. It was very unlikely any of them would even attend the same school if they all decide to advance their education, but hey who knows right? Kensuke wasn't a genius by any stretch… He was a whiz with computers for sure, and he was good at math. Other subjects though, like science and grammar well… He considered himself fortunate to limp out of those classes with a C. "College is definitely in my future, though I'm still undecided between film school and computer programming. As much as I love being behind a camera, computers are where all the money is nowadays…"

"Not to mention the porn…" Toji whispered to Shinji. The jock took great satisfaction in making Shinji chuckle. Kensuke didn't look nearly as amused as Toji was with himself.

"What about you Shinji?" Kensuke asked strategically, ignoring his other friend. "Put any thought into what you're going to do after we graduate?"

"Honestly no… I never really took the time to think about the future, because honestly I never expected I'd still be here. You don't spend much time looking towards the future when you find yourself stuck staring into your past while worrying if the next Angel attack is going to blow you off the face of the planet... I don't see myself going to college, and I don't really have any skills other than cooking. You know, I'd never thought the day would come when I would say this, but I can see myself staying at NERV. Unless the Angels ever reappear, I can essentially draw a paycheck for the rest of my life without really having to do much. As long as I'm not stupid with my money, I'm set for life in all honesty." Sensing the looks his friends were giving him as he took a drink of his coke, Shinji blushed and felt the need to explain further. "You know, when Misato took over as Commander at NERV, the first thing she did was ensure the pilots were taken care of… That's all."

"Shinji…" Toji mouthed, in a half teasing, half-bitter tone. "You suck…"

They were silent for a moment before all three started to laugh. The serious tone of the conversation ended right there, and the typical ramblings of teenage boys ensued. Of course it didn't take long before the situation completely turned on Shinji as the topic of a certain brunette was none too subtlety inserted into the conversation by Kensuke. The boy was determined to make someone else receive the brunt of the groups teasing, at least for a minute or two.

"So Shinji…" Kensuke began coyly. "I heard the first couple of dates with Aeri have gone well! She's bragging about you around school to anyone who'll listen."

"I'm sure your exaggerating," Shinji squeaked, as if the red rushing to his cheeks inhibited his ability to speak. He smiled hoping to hide at least some of his embarrassment. "But yes, they've gone well… She's a really sweet girl, though I think she's trying a little too hard to please me."

"What's so wrong with that?" Toji asked, almost sounding disinterested. "The girl is obviously really into you, and she's smoking hot."

"Not to mention she's fun to be around," Kensuke agreed, but then paused before he reached the part he knew Shinji wasn't going to like. "Not to mention much more pleasant than some of the other female company you've kept over the years."

"I know she's wonderful… Don't know why she likes me so much, but she's great… It's just…" Shinji paused, causing the gazes of both his friends to fall hotly upon him, both looking alarmed.

"Just what?" Toji asked sternly.

"It's nothing…"

"No it's something!" Kensuke argued. "The way you just paused and stammered off is vintage Ikari for 'there's a 'but' involved' that you don't want to tell anyone about! You can't possibly have found a problem with Aeri already!"

"No, none at all in fact, but maybe that's the problem," Shinji sighed, and fidgeted with the straw still in his drink. "Getting to know her these past few days and the dates… Well, they couldn't have gone better. It's like somebody in a laboratory dug up everything there is to know about me, used that information to create a girl to match my exact specifications, and then sent her out to greet me. She's almost too perfect for me… Maybe it's just my track record that makes me feel like she's too good to be true. I've never had one relationship in my life that's been simple or come easy… Even the first time I met you Toji, you introduced yourself to me by slugging me in the face. Being with Aeri has been so easy… It just doesn't feel natural you know?"

Toji and Kensuke both looked incredulous and were both thinking the same thing. Toji would voice their opinion for the both of them. "That's a bunch of crap Shinji… Well, maybe not entirely crap, but we all know the real reason you're having doubts. It's because of Red, and you're still carrying a torch for her."

"No, that's not true… I'm not delusional enough to think there's a chance of ever having that kind of relationship with her, and even if there was, I'm not sure I could put myself through that kind of torture." Shinji laughed meekly, but his friends found his comment even less amusing, Toji in particular.

"It doesn't matter if you know you have zero chance or not, she still has a hold on you. She's beat you down so much that you can't allow yourself to rationalize that maybe you've finally found what you deserve with Aeri… Shinji man, just promise us you're not going to break it off with Aeri because of that red-devil hanging off your back…"

"Don't worry about that, I have no intentions of breaking it off with Aeri…" Shinji said evenly, no trepidation or embarrassment in his voice. "I do really like Aeri, and I'm determined to make things work with her. That being said, it doesn't change how I feel about Asuka… I hope one day I feel the same way about Aeri, it's just going to take more than a couple of dates and school lunches for that to happen…"

Neither Toji nor Kensuke looked too sure about Shinji's resolve to make his relationship with Aeri work, but they decided his willingness to try was a step in the right direction. The Red-Devil had plunged her horns deep into his soul, and it would take time to pry him loose. The conversation abruptly ended there, as nobody really had anything to add or advice for Shinji. Kensuke had never been in a dating relationship before, and Toji was still getting accustomed to the idea that he was in one. It wasn't long before the check came around and the boys decided to disperse from there and go their separate ways. Shinji was eager for a few moments alone as, after all, he had a new cassette for his SDAT to listen too.

An hour later, Shinji found himself home, and apparently alone in the apartment. He decided he just couldn't wait a moment longer. He placed his ear buds in the appropriate canals, and listened intently as Kaji's voice began to speak to him.

"I had a feeling you'd agree to help me Shinji… Actually ,I never doubted you for a moment. Whether you believe this yourself or not, you were always someone people could depend on when they needed you most. Even if sometimes it took you a while to get there, ha ha…"

Shinji blanched at the compliant. When had anyone ever been able to depend on him? Unless what they were depending on was for him to run away and hide whenever things got too tough for him. Oh well, he'd have time to criticize Kaji's opinion of him later, his only concern right now was listening to the rest of this tape.

"Alright, let's get down to business. I'm afraid time is not on our side. I wasn't completely honest with you on the first tape… I had to be one hundred percent sure you were onboard before I offered up any information you didn't need to know otherwise… Far too many lives are at stake if either of these tapes were to fall into the wrong hands. Anyhow, when I mentioned before that I wasn't aware of SEELE's plans or who their agent inside of NERV is, neither was entirely true. I'm well aware of what their plans are including the very date they plan to enact it. As for the agent involved well… I have pretty strong suspicions who the agent is, but I'll withhold naming anyone until I'm positive I have the right person."

"As for their plan well…It's nothing short of diabolical. The old men at SEELE managed to get their hands on the remains of one of the Angels… A parting gift from your father I guess you could say… They've somehow managed to engineer some sort of virus from that material… In theory, the unique property of this virus is that it only affects Evangelion units, and is seemingly not harmful to humans… Unless they're infected by the EVA themselves… Meaning the only people at risk are the pilots who can actually sync with those monsters. As to what kind of effect this virus would have on the human body, I couldn't begin to imagine… And neither do they, and the only way they're going to find out is to test it out on one of your EVA's. The attack is most likely to take place during the sync test you're scheduled to take part in later this week. Most likely they'll try to inject the virus in Unit 2, as the Second Child is viewed as the most unstable of the pilots and therefore, in theory, the most susceptible to being affected adversely by the virus."

"Shinji there are no guarantees that all the information I've provided to you is accurate, but I believe it is and I'm more than willing to stake my life to that. You need to find a way to stop that sync test from happening, and unfortunately you'll have to try and do it without passing along any of the information I've given to you. I don't think I have to explain to you why. If you can't get them to stop the sync test altogether, then at the very least, do whatever you can not to allow Asuka or anyone else to test pilot Unit 2. I can't guarantee Unit 1 or Zero will not be the target, but I'd stake my life Unit 2 is the mark. I know what I'm asking is difficult, maybe impossible, but I need you to try Shinji. At the very least, we need to get that sync test postponed… I need more time to gather the evidence I need on SEELE's agent, and then just maybe we can put a stop to this person before SELEE has a chance to enact their plan."

"Shinji… Again I apologize for dragging you into this, but I had nowhere else to turn. Play hooky, lock Asuka in her closet, do whatever you can to delay that sync test. Please destroy this tape as well as the first when you get the chance. We don't want them falling into the wrong hands…I'll find a way to contact you again as soon as can. Good luck Shinji, and don't forget who we're doing this for."

Shinji looked in a trance as the tape ended, only one name on his mind and off his lips. "Asuka…" Shinji's face hardened into a sneer. He wasn't sure what to make of Kaji's story. What he did understand was that he failed Asuka before… And Misato… And Rei, as well as everyone else. He wasn't going to fail them again.

"The next sync test is at the end of this week…" Shinji said to himself absently. He had six days to figure out how to stop the test from happening.

* * *

Asuka Langley Soryu admired the reflection looking back at her in the mirror. She was looking at the same face that had earned her the admiration of so many… Hell, who was she to sell herself short? There were men who would literally bend themselves over backwards for that face. It was such a pretty face, highlighted by that long fiery head of hair that was so exotic in the Eastern part of the world. Those blue eyes were just as lovely, gleaming with the maturity of a woman many years her elder. Her looks were just icing on the cake though, as her true pride and joy was that brilliant mind of hers. All this wrapped up together to make what just had to be the perfect package. Asuka Soryu should be what every other girl her age should envy and aspire to be…

Then she blinked, and that shiny shell cracked and broke away revealing the scared four year old girl that hide deep inside of her. She blinked again, and that familiar reflection of pure perfection stared back at her again… Only this time, she didn't find the confident, beautiful young woman who didn't need anything from anyone. She wasn't even sure who this girl was anymore. It didn't seem all that long ago when she had everything figured out. She'd be the girl that would be the absolute best at everything, the prodigy of the Eva project. Now she could hardly even sync with her Eva, and even if she could, there weren't any angels to fight. No glory to obtain, now way to validate her own self-image in the eyes of others. She was so tired of being that girl… She was tired of being angry, tired of trying to prove herself…. Damn it, she was tired of feeling hopeless and alone. What she wanted now was something she could grasp onto and hold on to it for dear life, and hopefully not forsake her salvation after convincing herself she didn't need it after all. She wondered if the girl looking back at her was crazy… After all, she had seemingly manifested her own subconscious into a physical form, though an obnoxious and smug from and all because her all-consuming pride wouldn't allow her to face her own demons in the light of day.

With a sigh, Asuka jiggled a pair of sleeping pills within her clenched hand… Just a regular dose tonight. She didn't want a repeat of the other day when she knocked herself out, and wound up getting Misato and Shinji all worried about her… There was no way she wanted them to know what she was up too, not now anyway. A regular dose would do, enough to put her to sleep instead of the otherwise inevitable tossing and turning throughout the night out of fear of what was waiting for her on the opposite side of the waking world. With a determined grunt, she plopped the pills in her mouth and downed them with a glass of water.

It would likely take an hour for the pills to take effect, so now Asuka only had to figure out what to do with herself until the grogginess took over her body. She didn't want to risk retiring to bed just yet, as she feared if her mind starting racing that just might nullify the effects of the sleep aide. As she wandered towards the kitchen she noticed one of her roommate's staring mindlessly at the TV, Asuka wondering if he was even seeing what was on the screen. Asuka stared at the back of Shinji's head for a moment… Then another, and then a few more… Fuck it, she finally decided. She walked up to the couch and sat down one cushion down from him. Of course, she did not ask if she could join him, and of course he made no acknowledgment of her sudden appearance. For a minute there, they literally looked like a pair of mannequins staring at a television behind the plate glass window of some department store. When the commercials ended, revealing what Shinji was actually zoning out to, Asuka wasn't sure whether to blanch in disgust or chuckle in amusement. "Godzilla? Seriously?"

"Guilty pleasure…" Shinji responded softly behind a small smirk.

The pair sat silently for another moment, Asuka watching in wonderment at a gigantic ,likely 12 inch scale, giant lizard setting ablaze a paper-mâché version of Tokyo. At least that's what Asuka had always envisioned when she imagined the productions of these movies. "How are you not offended by this?" Shinji's only response was a shrug. Another minute of silence passed but that was about as much as Asuka could take. "Mein Gott, even in the original Japanese their mouths still look like they're being voiced over…"

"Voiced over?" Shinji looked across the couch at her, legitimately curious. Asuka's first instinct was to chastise him for being stupid, but resisted as she remembered Shinji was a Japanese native and likely had never seen the comedic take much of the western world had of Japan's favorite giant lizard.

"Yeah dummy, haven't you ever seen a foreign movie where they replace the actor's voice with a Japanese voice? You think all those damn Disney movies were written in Japanese? No, they were recorded in English, and then dubbed into Japanese when the film was shipped over here. The only Godzilla movie I ever saw was an English adaptation. The languages were so different that the words the actors were speaking didn't match their mouths. It put a nice little bow on what was already a special effects masterpiece! Not sure if they did that on purpose, but it kind of became a running joke with American versions of the films. I have no idea why they didn't just use subtitles, but I'm guessing it's because most fans of that junk over there can't read."

"Oh…" Shinji watched the next few lines of dialogue closely, but couldn't for the life of him see what Asuka was talking about. "Um… The way they talk looks normal to me…"

"Of course it does duh, because it's in Japanese stupid!" This time, Asuka felt totally justified in calling out her roommates stupidity. "I guess I'm seeing it because I'm used to seeing the western dubbed versions, so that's what I see when I look at the screen."

"Oh… That makes sense I guess…"

Another long bout of silence passed between them. They both stared at the TV but neither was really watching it. Both were much more interested, concerned, or dreading what the person sitting next to them was thinking. Asuka still wasn't completely clear on what her own motives were. Shinji had something he desperately wanted to bring up to Asuka, but how to broach the subject was, to that point, eluding him.

"So, we've got another sync test coming up in a few days huh?" Shinji mentally kicked himself at his lame delivery. As expected, Asuka's brow creased as if annoyed with him.

"Of course, we have one every week duh! What's your point?"

"No point really… Just wondering if you were as annoyed with these weekly tests as I am… I understand they need to make sure our sync ratios remain consistent, but once a week feels like overkill. How much difference can really be made from one week to the next?"

Asuka appeared annoyed by this. "For the invincible Shinji Ikari, I'm sure he could never take another sync test as long as he lives, and will always be able to sync no problem! For some of us though, who's scores have been crap since coming back, we need all the practice we can get!"

Shinji winced, and nearly found what little confidence he had working for him being crushed underneath Asuka's ire. He hadn't intended for his lament against sync tests as a shot at her, but Asuka seemed to be taking it that way. Then again, this was Asuka who was a master at taking offense to the otherwise seemingly mundane. "That's… Not what I meant! I'm not saying sync tests aren't important, just that I don't see why we need so many… Besides, you could take three sync tests a day, and that alone isn't going to improve you scores… Without actually getting out in our Eva's and syncing to them naturally… Well, there's only so much those tests can accomplish by themselves."

Asuka snorted, wanting to argue… But found that she couldn't because technically she didn't disagree with him. The proof was in the numbers after all. All those synch tests back then that she dominated, and at the time she'd felt those scores justified her claims of being NERV's top Eva Pilot. Once they were deployed in an actual battle though, she learned quickly how meaningless those scores truly were. It was in the heat of battle that true synchronization between pilot and Eva was achieved. The controlled environment of sitting still in a test plug for however many ungodly hours the brass felt like subjecting them to that day, had nothing on standing face to face with an inhuman monster looking to get through you in its effort to wipe out the rest of humanity. Of course there was no reason to let Shinji know he made a valid point. "The sync tests are still important stupid… Besides, there's nothing we can do to change it. NERV needs a way to justify keeping us on the payroll, and we don't exactly make chump change. The sync tests constitute both as training, and gives NERV tangible information to pass along to the UN and other government bureaucrats who would love nothing more than to shut the Eva project down."

"Yeah…" Shinji marveled, having always quietly admired those moments when Asuka made use of that brilliant mind hidden beneath that mane of red hair. When she wasn't being obnoxious or condescending with that intelligence anyway. "But isn't the reason we work in the Geofront once a week and take those self-defense courses to appease them?"

"Yes, but that's just busy work, and even the idiot politicians can see that. Our sync scores give them a number to look at, tangible evidence that NERV's pilots will be ready if some threat like the Angels ever arise again." Asuka turned a curious eye towards her fellow pilot. "Speaking of which, how are you doing in those self-defense courses? If a bully walks up to you at school and demands your lunch money, are you still going to piss your pants?"

"I wouldn't wet myself," Shinji grumbled, brow furrowed. "Though if something like that does happen, that's when having a friend like Toji comes in handy."

"Oh wow, there it is…" Asuka quipped snidely. "I knew you had to have some use for that idiot…"

Shinji ignored the knock on his friend, and directed the conversation back in the direction he needed it to go. "Sorry I brought this up… I just assumed from the way you complained about them that you didn't like sync tests either…"

"Oh perish the thought! What wouldn't a girl love more than spending her free time crammed into a tube filled with liquid that smells like blood and takes days to wash out of your hair, and you get to sit in that cramped tube for hours on in?! Of course I hate sync tests! They're long, boring, and tedious…. All complaining aside though, I'm never going to reclaim the status I once enjoyed unless I work at it. Sync tests are a necessary evil…"

"I see… So there's no hope for me talking you into skipping out on the sync test with me?"

Asuka smirked confidently. "Go ahead and the skip the test stupid… The sooner I start beating your scores again, the sooner I get to reclaim my status as NERV's #1 pilot."

Shinji's eyes lingered on the red-head for a moment or two, before they shifted back to the television. He had a feeling that keeping Asuka away from Eva wasn't going to be an easy task. Despite that though, he was happy to hear some of that old confidence and determination in her voice. Asuka wasn't far removed from her sync scores being almost non-existent. It was a time when Asuka feared, quite legitimately that she may never be able to make her Eva function again, and she hated the world for it. Shinji would take the cocky obnoxious Asuka over the bitter defeated one, every day of the wekk.

Several minutes passed in silence before the quiet was interrupted by a long yawn from Asuka. The pills were really starting to kick her butt. "Well, I guess I'm going to bed baka… Don't stay up too late. I expect my breakfast to be ready for me when I wake up in the morning."

"Good night to you too Asuka…" Shinji mumbled under his breath as his roommate groggily staggered to her bedroom, of course well out of earshot before Shinji opened his mouth. He shut the TV off not long after that, not to retire to his bedroom, but because he needed to get to work on Plan B… Not to say that there was really a Plan A, but a different tactic was clearly required. Going straight to Misato to get the sync test canceled or postponed just wasn't a possibility. Not without breaking his unofficial agreement with Kaji. No, he would have to find a way to keep Asuka as far away from Unit 2 as possible… Whether it was willingly, or by force if necessary.

* * *

Two minutes had hardly passed after Asuka's head hit the pillow and she was out harder than Misato after a post budget meeting bender. When her eyes opened, she found not the ceiling of her bedroom, but the endless void of space as the stars twinkled above. Confused, she stood up swiftly and looked around, searching for any hint as to where she was or how she'd gotten there. To her left was another endless mass, that of the ocean. The backdrop was beginning to look very familiar. Almost on instinct, she scanned to her right and wasn't really all that surprised by what she found. A ghost from her past, and an attractive suave ghost at that. He had a blanket spread out across the field sheepishly tolerating the antics of well… Asuka herself though three years younger. Damn, had it been that long? She knew exactly what day this was, as after all, it was seared into her memory. This was the night before she left Germany for Japan. Sadness filled her eyes as they focused on the man that had been her Guardian, confidant, and one time love interest. She had a feeling she would have to face him at some point during her trot down memory lane.

"He is quite the attractive one," a voice cooed as a hooded figure appeared next to Asuka. The red-head didn't even respond to his sudden appearance. "I can see why you were so enamored with him."

"It wasn't just because of his looks…" Asuka snipped, sounding annoyed. "He was charming and kind… He was the one person who was always there for me when I needed him, or when he could be a least. He treated me like an adult when everyone else around me looked at me like some spoiled entitled kid. I just wish I could've let him know how much that meant to me back then…"

Asuka and her subconscious continued to walk as the memory unfolded, a slightly tipsy Asuka clumsily trying to offer herself to her horrified guardian. Asuka's cheeks grew increasingly red as she recalled the conversation. She eventually put a hand to her blushing face, and had to look away. "Mein Gott, I can't believe I acted that way! It's so embarrassing. Kaji must have looked at me like some drunk horny school girl after that…"

"Somehow I doubt that… He never did take advantage of your advances did he?"

That thought drew a faint smile to her lips. "No… Never laid a hand on me, never said anything inappropriate. He was always the perfect gentlemen… Honestly, I'm not sure I would've respected him as much as I do if he had… In fact, that was part of his appeal to me."

"What do you mean? His apparent disinterest in you romantically? That's a rather odd trait to be attracted too."

"No, that annoyed me like hell… But at the same time, it was kind of what I wanted… Kaji was everything I thought a man should be, definitely my ideal match as far as I was concerned… I was also well aware that he was unattainable… That's the other thing that appealed to me. That way, I could latch on to him and carry on a façade like I really thought I was in a romantic relationship with him. Come on, I wasn't that naïve! The act served its purpose though… It kept away unwanted attention from boys, and as far as I was concerned, made me look damn good being associated with him… Most importantly, as I knew he wasn't interested in me that way, I knew he'd never let me close enough to him to get hurt… In a way, Kaji was another wall I put up to keep others out. I'd also be lying if I said I didn't enjoy the challenge of trying to get him to notice me as a woman… Damn, I miss him."

Asuka's gaze lingered on the man for a moment longer before she crossed her arms and glared at her subconscious impatiently. "Well, can we go now?"

"But we just got here?" He smirked, almost as if just to irk her.

"Don't play games with me! I'm not a fool! I know what this memory is about… You wanted me to face my feelings for Kaji, and I was completely honest with you! So, can we please move on now?!"

"Indeed, I suppose you have… I'm pleased that you're catching on so quickly… Now, what do you say we fast forward a few hours…"

"A few hours? For what…" Asuka felt stupid for even asking the question. "Oh… Right… Him…"

With merely a smirk in Asuka's direction, the scene shifted from a starry night on the beach, to the deck of a ship in the middle of the ocean. An eerie feeling immediately came over her as she reacquainted herself with the vessel that first brought her to Japan. Something was different… The previous memories she revisited had felt just like that… As if she was watching old memories as if they were rolling from some old timey home movie reel. Finding herself on the deck of that ship, it felt almost as if she were there… As if she were actually on that boat again rather than simply watching a significant memory from afar. Asuka wasn't a big believer in Déjà Vu, but this was likely the closest she'd ever come to that sensation in her life. She took a deep breath to ready her nerves, though she wasn't sure why. "Over the Rainbow…"

"Odd name for a ship is it not?" The cloaked figure chided with a grin. "I don't recall seeing any battleships in Oz."

Asuka ignored him, and instinctively marched towards the section of the ship that she knew the hooded idiot had intended to drag her too, and knowing full well the memory he wanted her to relive. For the life of her though, she couldn't understand why. It took several minutes to reach her destination, but the effort was well worth. She and her subconscious could look down over the railing directly above where Asuka was about to have her fated meeting with the Third Child. She could already see Misato, Shinji, and his fellow masters of stupid standing around awaiting the German pilot's highly anticipated appearance. Asuka watched with seeming disinterest, her fist resting beneath her chin. She continued to look bored even as all the chaos that was the introduction of the two pilots erupted below. The figures of the players involved looked small from her vantage point, and it was difficult to hear exactly what was being said unless it was screamed out loud. Two points that tweaked the curiosity of Asuka's tour guide through memory lane.

"You do realize they can't see or hear us correct? There's no need to watch from afar, unless this memory is too painful for you to be near it."

"Can it! It has nothing to do with that… I'm not even sure why you dragged me here… It better have something to do with my first Eva battle later on in the day. Otherwise, I have no damn clue why you'd bring me here just to watch the baka and his jackass friends make idiots of themselves."

"Come now Asuka dear. Let's not start playing that game again… As much as you may hate to admit it, meeting Shinji Ikari made a big impact on your life."

Asuka growled, seriously considering tossing the hooded prick over the railing. "If by impact you mean that my life started going to shit afterward, then maybe I'll give you that!"

"Oh, is that so? You mean to say that nothing bad ever happened to you before you met Shinji Ikari? It's hard to fathom he could really be the bane of your ever trouble life."

"I was fine before he came into my life! I knew what I wanted before then, what I wanted to be… I was going to be NERV's top pilot and nothing was going to get in the way of that! Then, this idiot pilot savant comes along, and nothing's made sense for me ever since…"

The hooded man eyed Asuka knowingly, sensing that there wasn't merely a single meaning to her rant, but rather many. He chose to keep quiet about that for now. "I see… Now answer me honestly. What was your first impression of the Third Child?"

"Honesty huh?" Asuka spat with venom. "When I laid eyes on him, my first thought was that there's no way this scrawny looking punk was an Eva Pilot! Then once I got to talking to him, I realized he was also a boring wimp who I wouldn't have trusted to pedal my bike home let alone pilot a giant cyborg in the defense of the human race!"

He looked at Asuka expectantly. "And?..."

"And what?!"

"I can see we're regressing… Alright then, if you don't wish to continue then I'll end our little adventure. Once you wake up in the morning you'll have no memory that any of this even…"

"No, that's not what I want!" Asuka basically begged, not really wanting to risk calling the cloaked figure's bluff. Turning red, she turned her head away from him gripping onto the railing tightly. "And… Maybe I kind of thought the idiot was cute in the right light! That was it though!"

The man's smile broadened. "And?"

"Come on!" Asuka was pacing now, hotly debating punching this guy in his non-existent face. "What else are you wanting me to say?!"

"Didn't you take him to see your Eva? Then, did you not allow him in the entry plug with you? There had to be another motive for you to act like this aside from just bragging. You wouldn't have spirited Shinji off on his own if you wanted to brag, you would've proudly boasted to anyone willing to listen or even unwilling."

"Err… Fine, I wanted to show dumbass that even if he did get lucky on his first few missions, that I was still every bit as good a pilot as he was, and that much better! That's why I insisted he get into the entry plug with me… I wanted to show him what I could do! That I was just as good as he was! Damn it, I wanted him to respect me, is that so damn wrong?!"

"Poor misguided Asuka," he said as he shook his head. "Always working so hard to obtain things from people that she already has."

Asuka snorted, and turned her back to the man, which also effectively turned her back to the commotion going on beneath them. It wasn't as if Asuka had to witness meeting the idiot first hand to recall the events of that day. "You don't understand a damn thing…"

The hooded figure chuckled at this. "You seem to forget my dear… Accusing me of not understanding you is akin to admitting that you yourself do not understand you."

"It's not like that's completely untrue…" Asuka sighed, in a rare display of submission. "In fact, it seems I understand myself a little less every day."

"Hmm…" The cloaked man took one last thoughtful look at the shy unassuming boy below that had little idea of what impact that fiery young red-head he'd just met was going to have on his life. "Are you truly convinced that your life would've been better if this meeting had never occurred?"

"Not a doubt in my mind…"

Asuka's subconscious did not call her out on this comment, for on some level, he knew she was being truthful. "There is one more memory I would like to visit before we call it a night… It will not be an easy memory to revisit, though a necessary one."

"Right, because the rest of this little trip down memory lane has been like a trip to Disney World..." she complained, as she finally shifted her eyes towards him again. "Let's just get it over with… Surely I'll get more out of whatever you have in store for me next then whatever the hell it was you expected me to get out of this one…"

"We shall see… Let's go then." Again, with no effort, the hooded man shifted the backdrop from a battleship in the middle of the ocean, back to Misato's apartment. This memory did not register as quickly as the previous two, likely because she had so many from her time living under the same roof as the lush and the idiot. A despondent looking Misato nursing a can of beer didn't exactly help jog her memory either…. Then she saw the manila envelope Misato was holding, and the bells in her head went off like a thousand car alarms all sounding at once.

"Oh… This…" Asuka's features were tainted by something most people she knew had never seen from her before… Regret.

"It's sinking in now I see…" Asuka said nothing else, too absorbed in the memory that came flooding into her head even as she watched it unfold in front of her eyes.

She couldn't remember the date, but this night occurred roughly two months after her return from Instrumentality. She was *not* in a good place at the time. Her sync score with her Eva was still non-existent, so much in fact that she nearly lost her pilots status and just avoided getting dropped from the NERV payroll altogether. If Misato hadn't been put in charge and stood up for her, Asuka hadn't a clue where she'd be right now. She would always appreciate how Misato had gone to bat for her, though the stubborn German could never quite bring herself to thank her for it.

Then there was Shinji… The conquering fucking hero who aborted Instrumentality, and could now achieve a near 100% sync ratio with his Eva every time he plopped his boney ass down in the entry plug. The same bastard who watched as the Eva Series ripped her to pieces, only to later yank Asuka out of the clutches of that false paradise, to wake up on that beach and find that same boy trying to strangle her. This proved to be a rather interesting conversation later on. His explanation was far-fetched to say the least… His mind had been so overwhelmed by what he saw during Instrumentality that when he first saw Asuka he assumed she was just another illusion forced unity was throwing into his face. It wasn't until Asuka touched his face that Shinji realized she was real, and let go. Oddly, Asuka believed him. Shinji wasn't a liar, and even when he tried he was a bad one. She had no reason not to believe him, and the subject was never brought up after that… Almost as if it never happened.

That didn't improve relations between the feuding teens though. Shinji made a fleeting attempt at creating a semi-cordial relationship with her, but after encountering violent opposition to these attempts, Shinji proved true to form and quickly gave up. Asuka wasted the first several weeks of her second chance at life stewing, angry at everything but yet nothing in particular. Eva had defined her throughout her life. Her sense of self-worth and accomplishment, her pride, the very thing that instilled some sense of purpose in her life was tied into piloting Unit 2, and now even that had been ripped away from her. She could live with the notion of never piloting an Eva again, just as long as she knew she was capable of doing so if need be. What she couldn't bear was the feeling of being obsolete. Her looks, her college degree, her self-perceived maturity and sophistication meant nothing in this post impact world. All she could do that seemed to matter to anyone was pilot that damn red behemoth. She was old news, useless, a burden to those with something to contribute to society. A depressing disheveled mess huddled in the corner for all who see her to pity. Mein Gott, how she despised being pitied.

Fortunately for her two room-mates, Asuka did not openly take out her anger on them… As long as they kept their distance. Any attempt to reach out or offer any type of support for Asuka was met with the full fury of the German red-head's wrath. Shinji and Misato both had very different means of handling their hot-tempered roommate. Weary of her unyielding verbal abuse, Shinji distanced himself as much as he could, avoiding eye contact and keeping conversation to a bare minimum. It seemed though that even a simple hello or good morning earned him an insult or even an occasional threat, so even this went away after a while. Shinji simply resorted to trying to make himself invisible anytime Asuka walked into the room. Of course, naïve Shinji just couldn't comprehend that in distancing himself from her, she perceived this as coldness and indifference towards her which was the catalyst to her attitude towards him in the first place.

Misato's tactic was the exact opposite. Asuka was living under her roof, and Misato wasn't going to take any crap from her. She tried playing the big sister role in the beginning, doing everything in her power to comfort Asuka and get the girl to open up to her guardian. Of course, Asuka perceived Misato's actions as pity and responded with hostility to her efforts. Misato even seemed to pick up on this after a while, and changed tactic. She tried appealing to the red-head's pride, goaded her for wallowing in her misfortunes and self-pity. Her efforts seemed to work at first, as Asuka seemed to accept the challenge and some of her old spark and swagger returned to her. The downside was that her actions did nothing to mend what was already a strained relationship between the two women. Asuka just wasn't mature enough at the time to see what Misato was doing for her. She understood it now, but back then, Misato had become just another person to look down on her because she could no longer pilot Eva. Misato had taken her jabbing at Asuka a little too far one evening when she accused Asuka of becoming everything she claimed she hated in Shinji… This did not go over well, and the verbal exchange that ensued had left three people in that house emotionally battered and bruised. That evening also lead to the scene playing out in front of Asuka at this very moment. The envelope Misato was gazing at so dejectedly contained Asuka's transfer papers. The day after their most recent blow up, Asuka had filed a requested to be transferred back to Germany.

In reality, Asuka had no desire to return to her homeland. Despite all her boasts as to how Germany was such a superior country to Japan, there wasn't really anything waiting for her back in Germany. On the other hand, there didn't seem to be much reason for her to stay either. It was looking more and more like she may never be able to pilot again, Misato was becoming just one more person disgusted by how useless Asuka felt she was, and Shinji practically pretended like she didn't even exist. She wasn't even in contact with Hikari at the time, as she was too ashamed to allow her closest friend to see her in the state she'd allowed herself to sink into. Sadly, as bad as things seemed in Tokyo 3, she still had more reasons to stay than to go back to the fatherland. Her 'decision' to transfer was strictly to satisfy her stubborn pride, and hopefully illicit some sort of reaction out the two people she was closest too. It was a childish cry for attention at the heart of it, if anything just to have something solid in the form of documentation she could stick in their faces and scream 'you'll all miss me when I'm gone'.

All Misato had to do was sign the transfer papers and it was done… Yet, the newly appointed Supreme Commander of NERV, as of yet, had been unable to even open the envelope. Asuka hadn't notice when they first arrived at this memory, but her younger self was now standing defiantly in front of her Guardian. "And you're sure this is what you want Asuka?"

"I wouldn't have applied for the transfer if I wasn't! You said it yourself. I'm a pathetic mess who can't even make her Eva blink… If I can't pilot Eva, there's no reason for me to stay…"

"Where exactly do you expect to go then? If your father and stepmother have even returned from Instrumentality, they haven't even bothered to check in and see how you were doing… Shouldn't that tell you something?"

"Nothing I didn't already know," Asuka responded snidely. "I still have connections… I'll find somewhere to go, so just sign the damn thing already! The sooner I get the approval, the sooner I can book a plane out of this hell-hole of a country!"

Misato starred at the envelope for a moment before letting it drop to the table. She tented her hands in front of her face before launching into Commander Mode. "No."

Asuka gaped at her Guardian, feeling both shocked and perhaps just a bit of hope. Of course she wasn't going to let it show, and diverted into spoiled princess mode. "What do you mean no?! You plan on holding me hostage in this country?! I can't even pilot anymore, so what good am I to you even?"

"You're more than just a pilot to me Asuka… I don't know what else I can possibly say or do to convince you of that, so I'm not going to bother. As for Eva, you can't be sure you'll never be able to pilot again… I know you've been through a lot… More than I can ever begin to appreciate, but through it all, I've never known you to be someone who just gives up on it all… The Asuka I know and love is stronger than this… Once you get your head back on straight, I have no doubt you'll be piloting Eva before anyone even expects, and probably do so better than you ever have."

"Maybe that's the problem…" Asuka grumbled, a dark gloom filling her eyes that nearly broke her guardian's heart. "The Asuka you knew is dead… She's still floating lifeless somewhere in Instrumentally after she shredded this husk of worthless flesh standing before you and left me stranded on that beach… Hell, who am I kidding? She died the moment that monster rapped my head… Why couldn't Shinji have just left me to rot?! I finally could've been happy, but that idiot had to drag me back here because he was too much of a damn wimp to relive this hell on his own!"

"Stop dragging Shinji into this!" Misato stood up from the table, slamming her fist against it to ensure she had the red-head's full attention. Their noses practically touching, Misato's stare was dangerously serious, straight into Asuka's dim blue eyes. The normally brash and confident young German looked downright subdued for a change, if only for the given moment. "This is about you and nobody else! The person you used to be isn't dead, it's just that for whatever reason, she's being held hostage by this self-deprecating directionless twit who does nothing but bitch and moan about how great she should've been, only to act like it's everyone else's fault she hasn't achieved what she thinks she should have! This pity party you've been throwing for yourself has been raging for months now! You treat everyone around you like garbage, almost like your guilting all of us to feel sorry for you, and then you get pissed off at us when we do! There's nothing more pathetic than someone who gives up on their self Asuka, and I'll be damned if I'm going to let you do it, and I'm sure as hell not giving up on you!"

"Don't act like you give a damn about me!" Asuka literally spat, as her familiar fire returned. "All you ever cared about is that idiot Shinji and your damn beer! Maybe the fucking penguin, I don't care! My life has been crashing down around me ever since that fucking angle violated me, and you want to call me pathetic for it!"

"There you go, twisting my words again to fit the vision that you want to have of me…" Misato's words weren't cross or meant to be hurtful, they were just matter-of-fact. The Commander sat back down, much of the emotion that had been driving her draining away. "What's pathetic is that you were willing to forsake everything you've worked so hard for because you misjudged how other's perceive you. You may not have been our top pilot, but you were a damn good one. You overcame having your mind raped, took on the Eva-Series single handedly, and played no small part in us winning the war with the Angels and aborting Instrumentality. Why can't you take pride in that? Why does all that seem to mean nothing to you just because Shinji was the one at the center of it all rather than you? We defeated the Angels, humanity has received a second chance at survival… Wasn't that the goal?"

Asuka didn't respond immediately, hinting that possibly part of what Misato said had sunk in. Not quite enough though… "Well… You said it yourself. My entire life's work was piloting Eva… Fighting the angels… Saving humanity… That was it! I had nothing planned out afterwards... Humanity lives on, the Angels have been defeated, and I no longer have Eva… What's left for me Misato? Sure, I may get my share of the credit, but in the end Shinji is the one everyone's going to look at as the big hero! The one who pulled our asses out of the fire… Not the pilot who dedicated her entire life to piloting Eva, but the idiot who bumbled his way into the entry plug and never even really wanted the job… How am I supposed to feel about that? Am I really out of line feeling bitter about it all?!"

"No, it is your right…" Misato said dejectedly, unable to come up with anything to refute her, not off the top of my head at least. "But letting it consume you and breed anger and hate is just petty."

"I don't care anymore… I can't stand looking at you… I can't stand looking at Shinji!... I can't stand all those idiots in the Geofront gawking at me with their hollow eyes… Looking at me… The girl whose mother went crazy and hung herself… The girl who got her mind rapped by an Angel… The girl who got ripped apart by the Eva-Series… The girl who can't sync with her Eva anymore! I can't stay here! You want me to find the girl I used to be, then let me go! I can't be her here anymore, not with all the reminders of what a failure I am! I need to be as far away from here as possible…"

Misato's response was immediate and emphatic. "No. I'm not letting you run away Asuka… Whether you want to admit it or not, the last thing you need is to be away from the people who care about you. That's my opinion as your Guardian… As your Commanding Officer, there's no way I'm letting you go until I'm one hundred percent convinced you're no longer an asset to NERV."

Asuka seemed in shock or something to that effect. She looked like she wanted to respond, wanted to lash out, but didn't. Instead, she stormed off towards what was apparently going to remain her bedroom for a while. As Asuka's door slammed behind her, Misato let out a sigh as if she'd just finished brokering a peace agreement with Attila the Hun.

The memory froze in place, leaving present day Asuka staring towards her Guardian with a mix of admiration and wonder.

"She does truly care about you, you know…" said the hooded man.

"I know…" Asuka managed a sad smile. "Even when I want to pretend she doesn't… She's always let me be me, without expecting me to be something I'm not. As a Guardian, she leaves something to be desired. Sometimes it feels like three teenagers living together, but I'll have to admit that I could've ended up in a lot of worse places than under her roof."

"Have you ever stopped to think what your life would be like now if she had signed those transfer papers?" Of course he already knew the answer.

Asuka responded without hesitation. "My life would've been miserable. As much as I love my home country, there really is nothing for me there… As messed up as my relationships are in Japan, they have nothing on the mess I'd have to go back to if I ever decided to go home. Misato wasn't kidding when she said my own family hadn't bothered to check if I was okay or even returned from Instrumentality. Six months went by before I even received any form of conformation that my father and step-mother were even alive, and that was via a phone call to Misato from my father concerned that NERV was wasting money and resources employing me when I could no longer pilot. Misato politely informed 'dear old dad' that I'd already gotten my sync scores back into the thirty's… His only response was 'Oh'." Asuka smiled faintly. "I guess I did get a bit of a kick at how Misato dressed my father down for doubting her judgment and his own daughter's abilities, and did it all without raising her voice and keeping the creepiest smile on her face I'd ever seen… Of course I haven't heard another word from father since… Only an occasional letter from my half-sister, but only because she wants the recognition of being blood related to an actual Eva pilot."

"What about friends and former colleagues? Surely there was someone you would've wished to reconnect with over there?"

Asuka shook her head. "Didn't have time to make friends, nor was I really interested. My entire life was training to pilot Eva and my studies. When the hell did I have time to make friends? Especially not in school… It's difficult when you're so much younger than your classmates, and nobody at NERV ever looked at me like anything more than a kid. No one except for Misato and Kaji anyway…"

"I see… Then why did you request the transfer in the first place, as it was obviously not what you truly wanted?"

"I don't know… To get a rise out of someone maybe? I guess I thought by leaving, I might actually smite someone even though I was screwing myself over in the process. Like I said, I was messed up for a while after coming back… I was being partially truthful when I said I wanted to leave, knowing that everyone I knew was well too aware of how low I'd sunk… Germany may not have been any better for me, but at least it was kind of like a fresh start. Where there was nobody really emotionally attached to me… No one to look at me with pity in their eyes, or trying to offer help I didn't want. It became infuriating and disheartening to have to be near everyone…"

"Especially Shinji?" Asuka's brow furrowed, still she nodded her head. "In fact, if we take a few steps towards your bedroom, we can see those resentful feelings in action."

"Oh…" Asuka grabbed at her arm and looked away, not really wanting to comply. "If we must…"

The hooded figure's smile never left his face, and that fact was still rubbing Asuka all sorts of wrong. The memory seemed to fast-forward as they approached the threshold of her room, as a nervous looking Shinji stood in front of it, obviously debating on whether or not to bother the room's occupant. "Asuka… Are you still awake?"

Shinji's meek question was met with silence. Agitated, Shinji rubbed at the back of his neck, and decided perhaps this wasn't such a good idea after all… Too little, too late though, as Asuka's door slid open aggressively. Asuka, resembling a bull ready to charge, stared directly at her roommate. "What the hell do you want?!"

"Um… Sorry to bother you… I just needed to talk to you for a minute…"

"Oh really?" Asuka crossed her arms, and leaned against the wall looking bored. "By talk, I assume you mean you want to stammer and mumble incoherently while I'm forced to watch you make an ass of yourself?"

"Come on, I'm not looking for a fight… It's just… I know you handed Misato your transfer papers earlier today, and I was just wondering if she approved them…"

Asuka's glare became almost deadly. "Oh, I see! Can't wait to be rid of me huh? Well, your shit out of luck Ikari, because I'm afraid I'm not going anywhere! The drunken hag refused to sign them, so for the time being, I'm still stuck here with a lush and an idiot!"

"Oh… So you're not going?" Shinji asked as if that was all he had heard.

"You're really asking me to repeat myself? Gott, you're stupid. No, I'm not going! Unless I can find a way to convince that drunk to cut me loose, this is still my 'home sweet home'!"

"I see…" Though blushing faintly, Shinji almost smiled. "Well, all things considered, I'm glad you're staying Asuka…"

Asuka flinched as if Shinji had just threatened to deck her in the face, only to pull back at the last second. Barely even realizing it, or probably rather just denying it, her heart began beating faster. "Oh, really? So the invincible Shinji Ikari is pleased that the Second Child is staying underfoot… Is that supposed to make me feel special or something?!"

"N… No.. I was just saying is all…"

"Well stop ju… just saying crap like that! I swear, the more your lips move, the dumber you sound!"

"What is with you?!" Shinji asked with a frown, this time being relatively sure he hadn't said anything that should've instigated an insult from her. "What exactly are you wanting me to say?! That I'm pissed because you're staying and I wish you'd go back to Germany and never come back?! Would it make you feel better if I said that?!"

"It would be more honest, but you're still missing the point Third! I don't want you poking around in my damn business! Do you really think some half-ass attempt at a compliment was going to make me feel better?! I sure as hell don't need your support or you damn pity!"

"Why is it I can't even try to be nice to you, without you taking it as something negative?! I'm sorry you're having trouble with Eva… I am, but you've been nothing but hateful to me and everybody else since we came back from Instrumentality! I don't understand what you're still so angry about!"

"Angry and…" Asuka's eye twitched a little. "You really want to know why I'm angry?! My life has been shit since you dragged be back into this hell, and you have the nerve to ask why I'm so pissed off?! Maybe it's because I'm still stuck looking at your stupid face every day!"

At this point Shinji wanted to back out of this confrontation so he could search for a nice safe hole to crawl into. Calling forth what little courage he had remaining, he held his ground, staring at the ground, rather than the angry German, to help maintain his nerve. "Maybe if you talked to me once in a while about things instead of screaming at me all the time, maybe I'd learn to understand you better…"

"You're a bigger idiot than I ever dreamed you were, if you think for even a second you could ever understand me!"

"Maybe you're right… But I can at least try to understand… I know I'm not good at this, and I've screwed up enough times that I can't really blame you for not taking me seriously but… At least I can try to be there for you…"

Something about what Shinji said made Asuka's eye twitch and every vein in her forehead bulge. Be there for her, seriously?! This guy, the same one who wasn't there for her when her mind was raped… Who sat there and watched as the Eva Series ripped her apart, who was never there when she just needed someone to hold her or just listen… The same idiot who had basically forgotten she'd even existed for weeks as she was going through one of the worst periods of her life! Now he suddenly wanted to be supportive, after she requested a bogus transfer she didn't really want and knew would get shot down, and *now* he suddenly wants to offer her a shoulder to cry on? If she wasn't so stunned by his gal, she might've punched him in the face. "So that's what you want now is it?… You want the weak and pathetic Second Child to lean on the mighty Shinji Ikari… Well fuck that! You're the last person I'd ever go to, even if I did need help!" Asuka cornered Shinji against the wall, slamming her fist down beside Shinji's head, putting a nice dent in the plaster in the process. "The reason I asked for the damn transfer in the first place is because I can't stand being around you anymore!"

"Stop it Asuka…" Shinji tried to sound assertive, but rather sounded more like a mouse begging a cat not to kill it. "I don't want to fight… I just thought I could help…"

"You want the help? Then do something! By all means help me! Shut me up, do something!" Asuka waited impatiently. No response followed prompting Asuka to give the wall another good whack. "Come on do something! Anything! Just do it!"

Her voice was stern but her eyes betrayed her. They begged something of him, but Shinji for the life of him just couldn't see it let alone have any clue what she needed… His silence only served to enrage the red-head further. "How long are you gona stand there looking like an idiot?! You got something to say, then spit it our already!"

"I… Sorry," he said absently, hanging his head and staring down at the floor.

That vein in Asuka's forehead bulged again, as she slammed her fist down on the same spot on that wall for yet a third time. "That's what I thought... Listen Third, I don't need anything from a worthless wimp like you… I don't need your pity, and I don't need your help! Don't touch me, don't even look at me! Find a hole to crawl into and die for all I care! Just leave me the hell alone!"

Shinji was still staring at the floor when Asuka slammed the door to her bedroom shut. The memory seemed to freeze at that moment. The curiosity of the hooded man peeked, he turned to ask Asuka a question when he found the girl staring at the floor herself. Her hands were clenched into fists, as her body seemed to shake. As if someone flipped a switch on her back, Asuka practically lunged at her memories representation of Shinji Ikari. Though the figment of her subconscious couldn't hear or see the angry German, she let him have it regardless.

"Why is it always the same with you?! You never do anything! Can't you see that what I say and what I mean are two completely different things! Haven't you known me long enough to be able to see that by now?! Just once could you stop feeling sorry for yourself long enough to look at me with more than just your eyes!..." Asuka began to lose herself and her outburst abruptly became more about her than the ingrained image of the boy she'd been screaming at. She felt her legs weaken forcing her down to her knees. "I know I've got issues but damn… Why is it you that makes me feel this way?... Things would be so much easier if it were anybody else…"

For perhaps the first time, the representative of Asuka's subconscious showed legitimate concern for her. "I believe you've had enough for one evening," he told more than observed with a hand placed on her shoulder.

Asuka awoke with a start, her breathing slightly labored, and a faint tremor traveling up and down her body which prompted her to put her hand up over her face as if this would stop it. As was common when you first awake, confusion took her in its grasp. She was obviously distressed over something, but what was it? Did she have a bad dream? Not exactly uncommon for her even nowadays… Did she have one of her late night chats with her subconscious, speaking of which, she still wasn't sure if they were even real or just an elaborate series of dreams… That in its self just sounded crazy though, and was the only reason she gave any credence that the person speaking to her in her dreams might just have spawned from the deepest recesses of her mind.

Bits and pieces of the dream came back to her, namely the pertinent pieces involving Shinji and her awkward breakdown. It humiliated her to no end to think of how she reacted that way to stupid Shinji even in her dreams, a place where no one else on Earth could have possibly witnessed her weakness. Noticing darkness looming outside her bedroom window, she checked her clock… 4:02, nowhere near time to drag herself out of bed just yet. Even with the effects of the sleeping pills, sleep would remain elusive for the remainder of the night.

End Chapter 7

 _-Whew, that was a long one. The Shinji stuff at the beginning just wasn't enough for it's own chapter, so I had to cram all this together. In the next Chapter Aeri makes a move... Nothing diabolic yet, she's determined to win Shinji's heart before she rips it from his chest. Asuka might just have to come to terms with exactly why she can't stand Aeri... And if she's going to do something about her and Shinji's budding relationship._


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Deep in the bowels of the Geofront stood Terminal Dogma, the literal Ground Zero for Third Impact and the war with the Angels. The very place where Lilith's body hand hung crucified serving as the bait which had drawn all of the angels to converge and assault this otherwise seemingly insignificant corner of Japan. Lilith might've been gone, but Terminal Dogma still had it uses though… The same use it had before, to hide the organizations deepest darkest secrets... Only now, instead of cloning the dead lover of the Commander and imprisoning allegedly divine beings, the secrets buried there had the potential to save mankind as opposed to unifying it… If you want to give Gendo and SEELE the benefit of the doubt, and not call it mass genocide that was.

With no Angels to combat, the most dangerous threat to mankind also just happened to be the very weapons used to help save it. The Evangelion's, if NERV ever lost control of one. Misato herself was heavily involved with a number of plans to handle the situation, in the event of a berserk Eva. None was more controversial than the very plan she was picking the brain of her top scientist on that very afternoon. As she rode the elevator down deeper into the heart of the Geofront, the lift stopped and she was joined by NERV's head scientist and the genius she'd scheduled to meet. After a formal greeting, they continued the decent in silence, which gave the observant Dr. Reniot time to notice her Commander's mind didn't seem to be entirely focused on work.

"With all due respect Commander," the doctor started lightly. "Are you having second thoughts about this project, or is there another reason you appear to be distracted? Something relating to being the guardian of two teenagers as opposed to the being the Commander of NERV perhaps?"

Misato was outright astounded that the good doctor was able to gather that on an elevator ride that hadn't lasted more than a minute yet. She responded, of course, by blowing her observation off all together. "My personal life at home has no bearing on my work here at NERV, so your observation is irrelevant."

"My apologizes, I did not mean to overstep… Force of habit I guess. I am a trained psychologist, so I tend to pick up on such things without really trying."

Misato was well aware of the scientist's previous profession, but that certainly didn't mean the Commander wanted the good doctor probing around in her head, or anyone else's for that matter. Besides… Though it was of no fault of her own, and probably shouldn't matter in the grand scheme of things, regretfully for Misato it did. Reniot held Ritsuko's old position, and while her crimes and history with the Commander had nothing to do with Akagi's replacement, Misato couldn't help but see her former friend whenever she looked at Dr. Reniot. It didn't help that the mannerisms of the two brilliant doctors were so damn similar. Ritsuko had burned through that trust Misato used to have in her so brilliantly, that the Commander would likely find it difficult to trust anyone who happened to hold that position. The feeling was irrational and unprofessional for someone in her position, but the feeling still lingered none-the-less. Misato decided that as long as she never allowed these feelings to show or affect the way she treated NERV's head scientist, then she shouldn't let those pestering little nagging feelings of dislike she had for Dr. Reniot bother her.

Professionally, she would treat Reniot with the respect she deserved… On a personal level though, she damn sure didn't have to tolerate her poking around in her head. "With all due respect to you Dr. Reniot… Unless you've had experience counseling people at the head of the most powerful international organization in the world, who at the same time is trying to raise two teenage kids in a love-hate relationship while those kids just happen to be two of your organizations most valuable resources, then I'm not sure there's much you could do for me."

Dr. Reniot smirked faintly by the trace of condescension in her Commander's voice, but wasn't really bothered by it. "Fair enough."

The lift beeped, and the doors slid open to grant the pair access to the Geofront's lowest level. Wanting to end this briefing as quickly as possible, Misato wasted no time getting to the point. "I understand from your last report, that the finishing touches have been completed on project Deep Freeze?"

Ironically, Reniot felt a chill rush throughout her body at the code-name used for the Commander's pet project… Misato had certainly used all her weight and pull as head of NERV to even get this project off the ground let alone completed in such a short amount of time. If the Japanese government or the UN ever got wind of what they were hiding down here, they'd likely all be wasting away in a cell somewhere charged with treason, if not terrorism even. "If you're asking if project Deep Freeze can now be initiated if the need ever arises, the answer is yes."

"Good… Now, let's take a look at the finished product shall we?" Their march through Central Dogma ended at a highly secure steel door equipped with two different security pads. Both Misato and Reniot entered their respective passwords and IDs into the system, as well as their hand and retina scans, before the door finally opened for them, immediately closing again as they entered. Inside the safe-like room stood a large chamber surrounded by glass and several more security locks. Behind the glass stood a massive cylindrical object that could fit perfectly in the palm of a hand… The hand of an Evangelion that is...

"There it is… The bakelite bomb…" the Doctor spoke of the object she helped create with minor disgust. "Condensed with enough bakelite and explosive power to flash freeze an area three miles in radius…"

"Or in other words, has the capability to turn the entire Geofront into an igloo if it's detonated from this spot."

"Those were you specifications," the doctor cast a wary eye towards the Commander. "I can certainly see why this project is top secret, it would be quite dangerous for anyone to know we were in possession of something so powerful."

"That's why only the two of us and Tanaka are ever to know about its existence… I assume you did a proper job in keeping the techs in the dark about what they were actually creating?"

"Of course, those were you orders… If I may ask though, is this type of weapon really necessary? From all appearances, the Angel's won't be coming back, and I have a difficult time devising a situation in which we'd ever need to flash freeze an area of such size. This bomb would seem to me more like it would be the brainchild of your predecessor if only to fuck with the heads of his rivals by letting them know he has it."

Misato frowned, not liking the comparison to the bastard king. "This bomb is necessary, believe me. It's a fail-safe, our last line of defense if everything else fails us. You weren't with us during the Angel War, so you might not appreciate the risks we took fully… Lilith may be gone, but while she was imprisoned here in Central Dogma, the Angles one-by-one attacked this base in order to get at Lilith and initiate third impact. It's disheartening to know how close a few of the Angels came to reaching their goal. Then the JSDF invaded the Geofront and slaughtered everyone in sight… Even the Eva's, the very weapon designed to defend humanity, we only partially control and barely understand. I'm not some self-serving control freak like Gendo Ikari manipulating everyone and everything under my command to fit my scenario. I have one goal and goal only. That goal is to protect humanity if another threat like the Angels ever arises again, just as NERV's original priorities should've been."

"So… If I'm interpreting what you're telling me correctly, then this bomb isn't a weapon to be used against our enemies but rather…"

The doctor hesitated, so her Commander answered for her. "To defend us from ourselves... If the Angels ever return and try to use the Geofront to initiate a fourth impact… God forbid, if we ever lose control of the Eva's, and they try to escape to the surface… This bomb will be available as a last resort to prevent the absolute worst from happening… And yes, by encasing this entire complex in bakelite, and therefore neutralizing the threat."

"I assume that includes any NERV personal who happen to be inside the facility at the time of detonation?" the doctor ascertained, her tone not masking her disdain for that idea.

"There's no point in acting offended." Misato didn't really snap, but her tone was authoritative enough to make her comment sound like an order. "The fate of the world may very well rest in our hands one day, and everyone who works within these walls knows the risks involved with that. Besides, we're talking about a worst case scenario here. We're talking apocalyptic repercussions that need be involved before we even consider detonating this bomb. It's not like I'm going to freeze everyone because the vending machines ran out of doritos!"

"I fully understand what you're saying Commander, However… To possess something so powerful and potentially devastating, and knowing it's hiding just beneath my feet..."

"You're afraid of a carefully designed bomb that will likely never have to be used, yet you're okay with the giant reversed-engineered Angels up there that are piloted by mentally scarred children?"

The doctor paused momentarily… And then grinned. "Touché Commander… I guess at the very least it is comforting to know we do have a backup plan in everything does start going to hell."

"With any luck, this thing will sit down here and gather dust… Still, if you think having this puppy hiding down here is creepy, you should've been down here when Lilith was nailed to the wall back there. You talk about getting a creepy feeling every morning when you come into the office. At least now, I can rest assured that what NERV is hiding down here is meant to defend us… Even if it might ultimately kill us all one day."

* * *

That evening's dinner had completely devastated the kitchen area. Of course, the very person who had toiled over the stove for his under appreciative roommates, one Shinji Ikari was stuck wiping off the counters, clearing the table, and washing the massive pile of dishes in the sink, which Shinji could swear had to have been sailed into the apartment on a small barge. All the while, his roommate and fellow Eva pilot stared blankly at the television obviously bored out of her mind. Shinji could sure think of a couple ways she could keep herself busy if she was so fucking bored. Of course, now nearing three years living under the Katsuragi roof, Shinji wasn't at all surprised he was tackling this mess alone. Misato's job at NERV had always kept her away for long hours, so he understood why housework wasn't a normal part of her itinerary. Ironically, Misato was actually home more now that she was in charge of NERV, than when she was Operations Director. That being said though, longs hours were still commonplace for her, and to her credit, she did try to pitch in where and when she could… Of course Misato's help was akin to a fast food restaurant janitor trying to assist a surgeon with a triple-heart bypass, but at least the effort was made. Misato was still an unapologetic slob, and Shinji had little doubt that if she didn't have him around, this apartment would stay an absolute dumpster fire.

Asuka was another story altogether… She was more than capable of pitching in, he could tell from the way she kept her bedroom typically flawless. With Asuka, it was just an unwillingness to do anything more than she felt she had too. Aeri's jab at Asuka regarding her treating Shinji like a maid or a servant didn't feel like it was far off the mark at times. Shinji would take his own jabs at Asuka at times for neglecting her share of the chores, knowing full well that bickering with her wasn't going to get her off her German ass and help, but at the very least he wanted to feel like he made it known that he wasn't happy about handling the bulk of the housework by himself. Besides… The half sincere bickering the teens partook in over the housework made the place feel more normal… If that made any sense. Shinji could only shake his head, stunned by how socially and mentally fucked up their little household was.

On this one occasion, Shinji didn't mind tackling the workload alone. It gave him time to think, and he appreciated the lack of the distraction that would come along with someone who didn't really want to be helping out 'Asuka', or unintentionally hindering him 'Misato'. There was only four days left before the next sync test… Four days until, if Kaji was correct, the potential attack on Asuka and Unit 2. He was in a near impossible situation and Shinji knew it. Getting the sync test canceled just wasn't going to happen. He had made some fruitless inquires to both Misato and Dr. Reniot about postponing the tests, claiming burnout, but his concerns feel on deaf ears. Their response to him was akin to patting him on the head and sending him back to bed with a glass of milk and a cookie. To them, his concerns were little more than the belly aching of an overworked child who would eventually learn to suck it up. That was all Shinji could really do on that front. If he pushed any harder then he already had, then he would risk his superiors becoming suspicious as to why he was so adamant to get that test canceled.

He'd had almost as much luck convincing Asuka to skip out on the fast approaching test, and worse still, she was already suspicious as to why he was pressing her about it. In fact, his efforts had seemed to completely backfire on him as Shinji had seemed to have lit a competitive fire under her, making her grow more and more determined to be sitting in that entry-plug in four days' time… The very thing Shinji wanted to stop at all costs. He just didn't have a clue what he was going to do about it… He did have a plan… The last resort type that he himself referred to as both dumb and stupid. He really hoped it wouldn't come to that, but as of right now, this was the only progress he had made.

Shinji's brainstorming session was interrupted by the ringing of the telephone. He ignored the ring, hoping that Asuka would at least have the courtesy to get the phone seeing as he was elbows deep in washing the dishes. Two rings later, and of course, she proved him wrong.

"Would you get the phone already baka?!"

"Damn it…" Shinji shook his head as he quickly dried his hands. He rushed over to pick up the receiver before the caller on the other end got tired of waiting for somebody to pick up. "Hello, Katsuragi residence!"

"Oh!... Shinji?" The voice on the other end asked warily, surprised that he had snapped at her, though ever so slightly. Shinji's eyes went wide with regret, realizing who was on the other end. "Oh hey Aeri… Sorry, I was in the middle of washing up the dishes, and apparently somebody has glued Asuka's ass to the couch again…"

Aeri chuckled on the other end. "You poor thing… So now you're the maid and the receptionist huh?"

"Something in-between… I swear though... I could walk in the door one night with three gunshot wounds to my chest and an ax in my head, and Asuka would just glare at me and ask where the hell her dinner was…" Shinji could feel Asuka's eye bearing into the back of his skull, but he was too annoyed with her to care at the moment and ignored it.

"Well, I feel for you Shinji, but I am kind of glad you answered the phone… I'd rather not have to go through her if I can help it…"

"I understand that… Is something on your mind? I mean there must be for you to call at this time of night…"

"Well… Yes, you were on my mind silly." Shinji blushed. He could almost see the smirk Aeri must've been wearing on the other end of that phone. "We haven't gotten the chance to talk much recently, so I thought I'd give you a call…"

"Oh right… Sorry about that…" It was true that they hadn't spoken much in recent days. Shinji had been so absorbed with Asuka and this potential SEELE attack, he hadn't much time to concentrate on anything else. "I've just been busy with NERV stuff here lately."

"Oh trust me, I understand… Which is why I'll understand if you say you're too busy, but I was just wondering if you had any plans for tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow?... No I don't think so."

"That's great!" Aeri sounded hopeful on the other end of the line. "Any chance that you can get some time off from you housekeeping job and spend some of it with me?"

Shinji's first instinct was to say no. He had to focus on finding a way to keep Asuka away from Unit 2 and that accursed sync test… Then the significance of what Aeri had just asked him smacked him over the head, his eyes going wide. "Wait… Are you asking me out?"

"Well, duh…" she said playfully. "That was kind of obvious."

Again Shinji felt conflicted. An attractive girl had just asked him out, but this wasn't really the time to be going off on dates when Asuka's life could be hanging in the balance. Then again, it wasn't like barricading himself inside the house was helping him come up with any brilliant ideas… Perhaps getting out of the house for a while and clearing his head would help him solve this conundrum he'd been having. He peered back towards the couch to see Asuka again staring blankly at the TV. Asuka clearly had issues with Aeri… He had no idea how, but somehow maybe he could make that work to his advantage?... Damn, he must've been getting desperate. "Alright, sure we can get together tomorrow… For a couple of hours anyway, I do remember now that I have to take care of some business at NERV after school, but otherwise I'm free."

"Awesome! Is six o'clock okay with you?"

"That sounds fine… We can discuss the details at school tomorrow if you want…"

"You know it… Thanks Shinji, I'm looking forward to it…. Hey, I got to run, so I'll see you tomorrow okay… Goodbye Shinji…"

Shinji blushed again at the tone in her voice. "Um… Bye…" Shinji hung up the phone and realization cracked him upside the head again. ' _Holy shit, did I just agree to a date?!'_

"Who was that?" Asuka asked, though already knowing the answer. She kept her eyes directed towards the TV to feign disinterest.

"That was Aeri…" Shinji said the next bit hesitantly. "She wanted to know what I was doing tomorrow, so we decided to meet up tomorrow night…"

Shinji's response finally managed to pry Asuka's eyes from the TV and shift over to him. Asuka had overheard his entire conversation and knew well what was going on… She just wanted to see if the idiot would say so rather than dance around the subject. "You mean like a date or something right?"

"Well it… Sure seems that way…" Shinji blushed, unable to meet Asuka's eyes.

The red-head snorted and turned her attention back to the television. "You're so stupid…"

Shinji frowned. "In what way am I being stupid now?"

"First sign of idiocy..." Asuka started absently, as if disinterested in the question. "Needing someone to explain to you why you're stupid. Second sign, neglecting to listen to your betters in the first place… This is nothing I haven't told you before. She's just using you… It's Eva she has the hots for, not you! If you want to be stupid and let her drag you around everywhere while wagging your tail behind you, then that's your business. I really don't care either way…"

"Good, because I don't really care what you think," Shinji snapped back, actually succeeding in catching Asuka off guard. "You've made it perfectly clear that you think no one in their right mind would ever be interested in me. Personally, I think you're just threatened by Aeri because if things do work out between us, then the great Asuka Langley Soryu would have to admit she was wrong about something!"

"You… You asshole!" Shinji darted his head to the side as a couch cushion went whizzing past it. Seeing Asuka bolt upright from the couch, he braced himself to face her fury, only to be in for a shock when she stomped right past him and into her room slamming the door behind her. Shinji was stunned, and wondering why he wasn't currently nursing a black eye. Normally, he'd be thankful for the reprieve from Asuka's wrath, but for some reason he just couldn't keep his mouth shut, and started yelling at Asuka's closed door.

"Yeah, I'm the Asshole! Because I'm the one who pisses all over you during those rare times something good comes into your life!"

Shinji stared at the door but no response came, not verbal or in the form of Asuka barging out from her room with fists swinging. Nothing but silence… After mulling his words over for several minutes, Shinji quickly regretted what he said, and was feeling horrible for it. So badly in fact, that he risked life and limb to walk up to her door and speak to her through it one more time.

"I'm sorry Asuka… I really don't want to fight about this… I know you don't like Aeri, and I'm not saying you don't make a good point about her… Still, she's one of the few people I've met who makes me feel good about myself, and I really need that right now…I know you probably think I'm pathetic because of it, but I'm not ashamed of it either…"

Having said his piece, he walked down the hall to his room, having no clue if Asuka even heard him or not. In fact, she had, as her back was leaning against the wall next to her door. She stared up the ceiling with a deflated look on her face. "Idiot… I can't stand Aeri because she's the one who's able to make you feel that way…"

* * *

Sleep did not come easy for Asuka that night, as she just couldn't help but see Shinji and Aeri's laughable excuse for a date playing out over and over again in her head. She tried in vain to think of anything else other than them… Other than him… That little prick who had her tossing and turning, and occasionally hiding her head beneath her pillow.

"Damn it, why can't I stop thinking about that doofus?…" she complained to herself as she removed the pillow from atop her head and rolled over… And found a set of reddish eyes darkened by a hood looking down at her.

"Why Indeed?"

Asuka's shriek could be heard from as far away as China as she nearly jumped clear off of her bed. Enraged by the intrusion, and getting the shit-piss scared out of her, she took a swing at the intruder and, of course, punched nothing but air… Since he wasn't technically there.

"Oh my… It's times like this that I feel very fortunate I do not have a physical form. You do realize you just basically tried to punch yourself in the head?"

"It would've been worth it! What the hell are you doing in my bedroom? Are you stalking me now?!"

"Don't be ridiculous… Unless you're suggesting I stalk you as Shinji stalks you as we both seem to reside prominently in your head…"

"Damn it, I get it!" Asuka felt her anger slowly dwindle to fatigue. "I created you in my head, you don't have to keep reminding me! When you're standing right next to me it's easy to forget sometimes that you're not technically real."

"Fair enough…"

After rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she gave the hooded intruder and questioning look. "Wait, why are you here? I'm not asleep… Oh lord, I'm not starting to see you when I conscious now too am I?!"

"No my dear, you are indeed asleep… Otherwise I would be unable to manifest myself to you…"

"Weird… When did I fall asleep? I've been tossing and turning all night thinking about…" Asuka stopped herself, not wanting to say this last bit out loud… Not even to her pseudo self.

"You indeed drifted off at some point, but not into a restful sleep. I felt your distress and decided to pay you a visit… And to take advantage of an opportunity."

"An opportunity is it?" Asuka dreaded she knew where he was going with this. "What would that mean for me exactly?"

"You wish to better yourself correct? One thing you must learn to do to accomplish this is to admit to the emotions you're feeling, at least to yourself regardless of how unpleasant those feelings might be to you…"

"Mein Gott…" Asuka groaned, knowing exactly what he meant.

The hooded figure could only smile. "This shouldn't be too difficult. Let's be honest with ourselves and state the true reason why we're upset that Shinji is dating Aeri?"

"You've gotta be kidding me…"

"I most certainly am not." He waited patiently for a response that never came. Asuka stared off into a dark corner of the room, unwilling to respond. Never daunted, the figures smile only broadened. "I see how it's going to be… Perhaps a visual will help make an honest woman of you."

Asuka scowled, but before she could complain she found herself standing in the middle of what looked like the basement of an apartment building. Before she could ask why they were there, her attention was drawn to the giggling of a girl whose voice was becoming sickeningly familiar to Asuka. Rocks in the dryer on spin cycle annoying. Aeri appeared at the bottom of the stairwell, dragging Shinji Ikari behind her. Asuka clearly appeared confused. "What's this?... This isn't a memory."

"No, this is one of your fantasies… No I take that back, daydream is more like it… No, that's not quite right either… Let's just say this is a scenario that's played out quite a bit in your head the past few days, in a variety of ways. This is one of my favorites."

"You can't be serious… So, is my head like an IPOD to you now?! Why the hell are you showing me this shit?!"

"I tried asking you quite politely for an honest answer to your issue with Shinji and Aeri's courtship. I wondered if perhaps you had simply forgotten, so I decided you might need a reminder to recall how you had felt… There has to be some reason you concocted this little scene in your head."

"You're a bastard… A conniving, head-fucking with, little bastard! You do enjoy rubbing my nose in shit like this don't you? You know why seeing Shinji and Aeri together infuriates me?… Why the hell do you need me to say it out loud?! It's akin to torture!"

"The very fact that it's so difficult for you to say these words aloud is exactly why I'm insisting you speak them. If you ever wish to come out from behind those walls you hide behind and move past them, you have to learn to be honest with yourself fist. How else could you ever hope to be honest with anyone else?"

"Don't you think I know that?! Mein Gott, could you be more cliché?! My concern is this garbage!" Asuka pointed towards the tangled bodies of Shinji and Aeri, who were strangely frozen at the moment. Maybe the hooded geek really was using her mind as an IPOD, or he seemed to at least have a pause button. "Do you have to go straight for my throat?!"

"Oh please, nothing of substance has even occurred in your little daydream as of yet, certainly nothing that should have you so flustered already… Let's watch, I hear the show gets better."

"We're are we?" Shinji asked Aeri, as their images unfroze.

"In the basement of the apartment building," Aeri wrapped her arms around his neck, and cooed seductively. "No one ever comes down here, so nobody will bother us…"

"Not bother us?..." Realization flashed in Shinji's eyes. "Oh… I see. Are you sure about this?"

"Aren't you?" Aeri asked as she played with the hair on the back of his neck. "Don't get cold feet on me now… Are you afraid Asuka's going to get mad at you if she finds out you were with me?"

Shinji frowned at the sound of the red-head's name. "Hell no! Why would I care what that bitch thinks?… She can go rot for all I care…"

"My thoughts exactly…" Aeri leaned up and closed the distance between her lips and Shinji's.

From there the scene morphed into your typical teenage girl crush daydream, the kind where the guy you're crushing on is involved with someone else… Fully equipped with an overly exaggerated noisy make out session, heavy petting, and the occasional insult directed at the daydreamer as if the couples entire rendezvous was planned specifically to spite her. It wasn't long before clothes starting flying left and right, the hooded-figure's eyes going wide as the daydream became extra sultry.

"Oh my… For a girl who tosses the word pervert around like a horseshoe, you certainly have an active mind for the erotic…"

Asuka was in no mood for jokes. She wasn't even looking at the scene any longer, preferring the view of the floor as she gripped onto a pipe attached to the faux wall. Her face was blood red, but not really from embarrassment. She was angry. While it might seem silly to get worked up over a daydream, the problem for Asuka was that this wasn't merely a nagging thought hiding at the back of her mind. To her, this was a very real and likely possibility, if something of the like hadn't already happened. "What answer can I give that would satisfy you?"

"Come again?" He turned to Asuka, his smile ever-present.

"What kind of answer can I give that you would find acceptable?! Would I have to say that I'd like to rip one of these pipes off the wall and beat the bitch to death with it?! Would that answer be honest enough?!

"Not necessarily… Again, an act of violence in Aeri's direction only further validates your disdain for her. It doesn't explain the reason for that hatred."

"Damn you, it's because I'm jealous alright?!" Asuka screamed into his hooded face, near hysterical. "I said it, are you fucking happy now?! The thought of that bitch putting her hands, or anything else on Shinji makes me want to gouge her eyes out before I rip off her face! I'm jealous because she has such an easy time being around Shinji when it's so difficult for me… Shinji said Aeri's one of the few people he's ever known that has ever made him feel good about himself… Why didn't he just go head and say that I make him feel like shit?!"

"Perhaps he felt it went without saying… You've done virtually everything in your power to give him that opinion of you…"

"I've never once tried to make poor little Shinji feel bad about himself… I spoke the truth to him, that's all. If he's too thinned-skinned to take it and gets all offended, that's not really my fault or my problem."

Asuka's subconscious almost found it hard to argue with her, knowing that, for the most part, this was truly how she felt… The key word here though was almost. "Oh come now, you're lying to both of us now… You couldn't possibly have convinced yourself that you've never purposely tried to hurt Shinji… Emotionally or mentally I mean…"

"Like I said, it's not my fault the truth bothers him so much…"

The hooded figure glared at the red-head as if expecting, no really silently demanding a better response. Asuka began to grow anxious within the cross-hairs of his glare. "What?!"

"Alright, I can see further persuasion is in order…" he sighed. Though it was brief and minor, for the first time, Asuka's subconscious seemed to get annoyed with her stubbornness. "Would you enjoy taking a visit to another of the erotic fantasies you've created staring these two in coitus? I believe you've concocted enough to produce your own film if you so desire…"

"Fine damn you!... Maybe in the beginning I was trying to knock him down a peg, but only to put him in his place! I was the one who had trained all her life to be an Eva pilot! I had the looks and personality! I was the star of this show! I didn't need him thinking he was above me or even equal to me just because he got lucky his first few times out in his Eva!"

"Yet, he always remained one step ahead of you didn't he? He always seemed to seize that recognition and glory that you felt you were so entitled too… Because of this, your attempts to break him down continued didn't they?"

Asuka looked forward, flaring her nostrils and greedily sucking up the air that wasn't technically even there. She felt like an antelope with two broken legs desperately struggling to fend off a pack of starving lions. You know you're in trouble when you could no longer bullshit yourself successfully. "Yes… Part of it was jealousy and bitterness… Who wouldn't be upset when you train for something your entire life only to constantly be outdone by some skinny whinny wimp who had no idea what he was doing, and never even wanted to pilot Eva in the first place! Then…"

"Then what?" the figure prodded after Asuka failed to complete that thought. The red-head didn't appear any more inclined to share than she had half a minute ago.

"It's obvious you're trying to goad me into confronting how I feel about Shinji… But if you truly are my subconscious and know everything there is to know about me, then you should know full well that my feelings towards Shinji are far more complicated than you're making it sound…"

"Perhaps… Or maybe this is simply my attempt to get you to accept that understanding those feelings is far simpler than you make it out to be."

Asuka gave the hooded man the look she usually reserved for people she was seriously considering strangling. That look's recipient continued to smile, and without so much as a twitch of his eyebrow, the background changed yet again. This time around, Asuka didn't find herself trapped in one of her own fantasies, but rather a memory Asuka was hard pressed to believe had happened over three years ago. It was the evening before their second battle with Israfel, and after the vigorous tandem training they'd been put through. The blood immediately raced to Asuka's cheeks when she realized where the hooded creep had brought her. "This is… What, wait a minute! Why are you focusing on this memory?! Anything I said or did on this night doesn't count!... There were extenuating circumstances!"

"Disagree," he said simply, watching intently as Asuka's past-self emerged from the bathroom, wrapped up in a towel. Asuka could barely stand to look, knowing full well what she'd be getting called out on. "You're tone seemed quite suggestive when you pointed out the two of you would be alone…"

"Don't make it sound so perverted! I just wanted to see how the little dweeb would react!"

"How did he react?"

Asuka went from looking agitated to somewhat despondent. "He didn't… Not at all. He just sat there like a turnip sticking out of the ground!"

Now that Asuka had been successfully re-soured, the hooded figure continued to watch the scene unfold, while Asuka still couldn't bring herself to look. He waited until Asuka slammed the door to Misato's room shut before he spoke again. "The impenetrable Walls of Jericho… That's an interesting reference."

"What' so interesting about it?" Asuka barked, blushing again.

"The Walls of Jericho fell, did they not? I'd almost be inclined to consider that an invitation for Shinji to come inside…"

"You're reading too much into a simple figure of speech…" Asuka trailed off before continuing. "Like I'd even expect that idiot to get the reference…"

"That's not entirely his fault. Christianity isn't exactly a common religion in Japan. It's very likely he's never been made familiar with the story."

"What does that matter either way?! Do you have a reason for showing me this crap or not?!" Asuka barked, and had plenty more to say, but suddenly went silent. The scene had changed again… They were now behind the fabled impenetrable walls, Asuka nearly standing next to herself, as the Asuka from her memory lay crumbled in a heap behind the bedroom door. Asuka turned red yet again, while her eyes found the closest wall rather than look down at herself.

"Oh dear, she looks quite upset…" the hooded man referenced the frozen form of the girl now huddled at their feet. "Almost devastated I would say…"

"Oh, that's way too strong of a word! That little dork's opinion of me is nowhere near important enough to shake me up like that…"

"Then what word would you use to describe how you reacted?" He asked smugly, challenging Asuka really.

"I don't know, frustrated? Annoyed? Shinji is definitely socially oblivious enough to render just about anyone to tears!" The man continued to look over at her… Still fucking smiling. God, she was really starting to hate his stupid face, even if she couldn't really see it, obscured by that damn hood. The coy hooded gentlemen didn't really have to say anything, and Asuka cracked anyway. "I felt rejected okay! I wanted him to stop burying himself in his damn headphones, and pay attention to me! Even if I wasn't sure why I wanted his attention, or what I would do with it if I got it… I took his indifference as a challenge, and I just couldn't ignore that…"

"Clearly… What exactly did you expect would happen if he did understand your analogy, and tore down those proverbial walls?"

"I don't know! Honestly, I didn't think that far ahead… All I knew was that I was tired of feeling ignored. I couldn't understand why he wouldn't be interested in me… All the other guys liked me…" Asuka's voice became small quite suddenly. "I wanted him to like me… Gott, I sound so pathetic…"

"You sound nothing of the sort," he assured, for the moment at least, sounding much more consoling than snarky or combative. "You do realize his seeming indifference to you wasn't his way of rejecting you?... He was simply oblivious to your advances… Partially based off the way you treated him after you first met…"

"I know, I was a bitch to him, I get it! Hell though, if anyone deserves to be a bitch, I do after everything I've been through!... Still, I know I'm paying for that attitude now… Besides, even though I know now that he wasn't actually rejecting me, I didn't know that back then…"

"Precisely… And neither did Shinji. You can't reject something that you never knew was offered to you."

"Shut up you pervert," she said softly, not really invested in the comeback she was trying to give. She knew he didn't actually mean it that way she was pretending to take it. "Don't make it sound I was offering him *that*. If anything, it just would've been nice to have someone to talk to… I wanted to understand more about what made him tick, only for me to get disappointed as I found out what a socially awkward wimp he really was... That frustration only elevate when…"

Asuka comforted her suddenly aching forehead with her hand. She didn't really want to finish her thought, but she no longer felt she had a choice in the matter. This figment of her subconscious would just continue to prod her with unpleasant memories and images until he got what he wanted out of her. She had to admit that her subconscious had done a damn good job manifesting itself into a form that Asuka couldn't push around. "When my feelings for him started to change, the purpose of the abuse changed. At first it was mostly an ill-conceived attempt to get him to notice me, and eventually morphed into an attempt to get him to toughen up and stand up to me like the man I wanted him to be… Of course those attempts totally backfired on me, and just forced him deeper and deeper into his shell… That made me all the more disgusted with him, and disgusted with myself because I still couldn't make those feelings go away…"

"Those feelings are nothing to be disgusted over Asuka, and never have been. Wouldn't you admit from his actions in recent weeks, that Shinji is much more worthy of your affections than he was before?"

Asuka had a blank look on her face that slowly morphed into a sad smile. "Yeah… he has. He's looking more and more like a person I can count on… Before Third Impact, I never imagined that could be possible. I noticed the change in him almost as soon as we came back from Instrumentality. It was subtle, but I couldn't help but notice it. Shinji is still meek and shy, but it almost seems like Instrumentality sucked a lot of the fear right out of him. It's still there, and you can still see the sadness in his face sometimes, but he doesn't let it control or define him like he used too. I could tell by the way he would react to me. I found out that I couldn't intimidate him like before. Instead of getting upset or fighting back, he'd brush me off like I wasn't capable of hurting him the way I used too … In a way, that upset me a little, feeling like I lost control over him… Which, in my mind, meant I was losing the one piece of him I thought I had left…"

A still silence overtook the two of them. Asuka took a seat on the ground, her back turned to the boots knocking behind her. "This isn't the part where you give me some cheesy cliché line about me having to admit my feelings to the idiot are you?"

"Oh, of course not. That isn't even what our little sessions together are all about. If that scenario becomes a side-effect in the future, then so much the better. That being said, I do feel you're past the point where you have to pretend so fervently that those feelings don't exist."

"You're suggesting a happy medium then? How quaint…" The sarcasm dripping from her voice went over like a sledge hammer to your skull.

"Well, you're not yet prepared to go for it all, and you're no longer satisfied with nothing… So unless you've had a change of heart and decided your content with wallowing in the mud while Shinji moves on with Aeri, what else is there?"

Asuka remained defiant, flaring her nostrils as she looked off to the side, blushing slightly at having to submit to his logic. "You make it sound so easy… I wouldn't even know where to begin…"

"Isn't it obvious? It will be quite impossible to expand your relationship with Ikari as long as Aeri is in the picture. The stronger that relationship becomes, the further you'll be pushed out of it. You must find a way to neutralize her before it's too late."

"Oh, that's funny… Like I haven't been trying to get him to break things off with her! He just won't listen to a damn word I say… He's totally got a massive hard on for her…"

"It's true that you have not hid your displeasure to Shinji over his relationship with Aeri, but while doing so, you continue to degrade and devalue him. An approach that you yourself have admitted doesn't work as well as it used too."

"Well, do you have any better ideas Mr. Dream Walker?!" Asuka sounded more solemn than angry as she kicked softly against the wall, surprised by just how real solid objects felt inside of her head.

"Me? Ideas? Don't be absurd. You're the great Asuka Langley Soryu after all, and I certainly couldn't offer you any ideas you haven't long thought of."

Asuka frowned in annoyance. "Are you saying that to appeal to my ego, or are you just being a smartass because you're a part of me and you would obviously know everything I know?"

The hood figure simply smirked. By some miracle, Asuka didn't strangle him on the spot. "Stupid question, of course you're being an ass!"

Asuka's subconscious was unfazed by her outburst… Actually he seemed rather amused by it. "If you'd like, I can guide you where to start… I appeared to you tonight because I sensed the turmoil you were feeling over Shinji's pending date with this Aeri girl…"

"Turmoil's a strong word don't you think?! Annoyed, or irritated would be more accurate."

"Indeed," he said, coming dangerously close to a chuckle. "Anyway, this date is clearly the source of your… Irritation, so your recourse is clear. You need to prevent Shinji from partaking in his rendezvous with Aeri."

"Oh right, because that never crossed my mind at all! It's not like I can stop baka Shinji from dating Aeri if he's that determined to do it… Not without revealing things to him that he doesn't need to know…"

"Oh come now… Have you forgotten already? You're Asuka Langley Soryu… Certainly you can think up a way to disrupt Shinji's date, all the while leaving him none the wiser that it was because of any form of hidden feelings you might have towards him."

Asuka's expression remained unreadable for a moment, maybe two… Then she grinned. Of course, the smirk of her hooded subconscious had never left his face. "And there she is…"

End of Chapter 8

 _-This is a bit overdue but thanks to everyone whose read and enjoyed this story over the past few weeks. The next chapter will focus on Shinji and Aeri's first date... Well, technically not first, but first *date* date, and whether or not or how Asuka decides to interfere with it. See you then!_


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Shinji Ikari never really had to worry about how he was dressed before. He was never out to impress anyone with his sense of style, nor did he really believe he'd ever see the day when he'd have to worry about how a girl thought of the way he was dressed. This evening would be he and Aeri's first official date. The trip to the mall and the arcade was more of a casual, get to know each other kind of thing, so Shinji didn't fuss much with his appearance. This time though, his standard school uniform didn't seem appropriate for the occasion, and unfortunately they comprised 90% of his wardrobe. Neither did his gray or red t-shirt nor his one pair of slightly worn jeans. He did have one pair of slacks and a pair of dress shoes for formal occasions, but even adding those, he was still going to feel somewhat under-dressed for the occasion.

It didn't help matters that Shinji wished he could find a way out of his night on the town with Aeri altogether. It wasn't that he didn't want to date Aeri, but the timing made piss-poor look serviceable in comparison. He'd agreed to this date partially because he had a hard time telling people no, and partly to spite Asuka who was irking him at the time. He almost immediately regretted the arrangement. With his fellow pilot's life potentially on the line in the coming days, this was no time to be going out on dates… Regardless of how cute the girl might be, or how much she seemed to legitimately adore him. Now he felt trapped as he was too kindhearted to let Aeri down after agreeing to go out with her that night. Oh well, he still had three days until the sync test, and he always had plan Z to fall back on.

"You're not seriously going to wear that are you?" An unexpected voice asked for the threshold of Shinji's room. Asuka was standing just outside his open door, shaking her head at Shinji as if he were the most pathetically dressed person on the face of the Earth. Shinji would have ranked himself bottom five, but certainly not the worst… Maybe?

"Don't have much of a choice," he responded, though he remained guarded. Thankfully though, Asuka didn't appear angry. "This is the best I've got I'm afraid… With fighting the Angels and adjusting to the Post-Third Impact world, dating was the last thing I thought I'd ever have to worry about let alone this soon…"

Asuka humphed in response, and entered his room without permission. She walked over to the bed and examined what had laid out. His slacks and his ted t-shirt which sadly passed for his dressy shirt. "This is pathetic… But at least you have the sense not to wear your school uniform out on a date…"

"Yeah, that didn't seem appropriate…" Shinji agreed, still wary of why Asuka was even in his room scrutinizing his clothes… She didn't even seem pissed off either, even knowing he was preparing for the date that he'd be leaving for in little more than an hour. It was really creeping the shit out of him. "I kind of wish Aeri had given me more time to prepare. That way, maybe I could've bought something more appropriate to wear…"

"Don't worry too much about it…" Asuka sounded annoyed but subdued. "She seems to like you enough that I doubt she's going to care much about how you dress… Besides, it's not like you're horribly unattractive or anything… You'll be fine…"

Shinji was positively floored. Did Asuka just sort of pay him what sounded like a compliment? No, that couldn't be right, he had to be hearing things. "Um… Thank you…"

Shinji remained thoughtful as he studied this girl that apparently had swapped bodies with Asuka. The red-head noticed Shinji gawking at her, prompting her to angrily prove too him she was indeed Asuka Langley Soryu. "Why the hell are you staring at me like that?! Pervert…"

"Sorry…" Shinji quickly diverted his eyes as Asuka grumbled at him. "You just caught me off guard. You've made it quite clear that you don't care for Aeri, but you're acting almost semi-supportive…"

"Oh don't the wrong idea. I still think you're an idiot for dating a fan girl… Don't be shocked if you end up spending the evening chained up in her closest with one of your ear's missing… Still, as much as your relationship with this girl confuses me, I guess that doesn't mean I can't hope you enjoy yourself at least a little tonight…"

"Really?... Thank you Asuka." Shinji flashed a smile that displayed his very legitimate gratitude. "I appreciate that…"

"Whatever…" Asuka turned her head quickly so Shinji couldn't see her blush, as faint as it was. "Just remember that I warned you, when she's bashing your kneecaps in with a sledgehammer to keep you from escaping..."

"I will… I mean that's not going to happen but… Thanks again Asuka…"

Asuka said nothing as she hurried out his door, and immediately darted into her own room. After shutting the door, she pressed her back against her wall and greedily inhaled every molecule of oxygen within spitting distance. "That wasn't so hard…"

Part one of her plan was a success. Confuse the shit out of the baka by acting somewhat affably about his little date. Now she had the rest of the evening to focus on Step 2… Ensuring that little bitch Aeri didn't spend so much as five minutes alone with Shinji.

* * *

Shinji Ikari eventually accepted that there was no way to back out of his pending date with Aeri. Once he had accepted that, it dawned on him that he was going out on his first date… With a stupidly hot girl who he didn't even really have to impress or woo because she was already head-over-heels for him before he'd even met the girl. Still, despite the stars that were seemingly aligning for him, Shinji was under the impression he'd find a way to screw up just by showing his face. As he made his way out of the apartment he realized he knew nothing about girls… Nothing about how to act on a date without making a total ass of himself. By the time he was nearing their designated meeting spot, Shinji was ready to sprint off running in the other direction. This time, not because he felt guilty over Asuka's predicament, but because he was Shinji Ikari, and running away like his ass was catching on fire was second nature to him in situations such as this. Then he saw her… Aeri and the dress she was wearing… Let's just say if this was an Angel attack, every alarm in the Geofront would be going bonkers.

"I can't do this…" Shinji said to himself as he turned to run. He hadn't even taken a single step when he felt a strong hand grab the collar of his shirt and jerk him backwards. He looked up at the perpetrator to see none other than his friend Toji smirking down at him.

"Hey Shinji! Fancy meeting you out here all by yourself… Didn't you have a hot date tonight?"

"Well yeah but…"

"Oh please, cut the crap Suzahara," said Toji's annoyed girlfriend. Hikari stood behind him with her arms crossed. Toji jumped slightly as if surprised she was there. "Just ignore anything he tries to say Shinji. He's trying to pretend like he just bumped into you, but in reality, he's had me standing out here waiting on you for over an hour now!"

"Hikari, that's not information he needed to know…" Toji grumbled hoping, Shinji wouldn't overhear. Hikari gave him a look that made the jock immediately tense up and he backed off. Toji then, of course, crossed his arms and put on his tough face, but he wasn't stupid enough to mess with Hikari Horaki when she gave him that look.

"Waiting for me? What are you talking about?..."

"Quiet Toji, I'll tell him," She bit towards her boyfriend. He looked away and offered no objection. "Toji was afraid you'd try to back out of your date at the last minute, so he wanted to make sure he was nearby to make sure you went through with it!"

"Huh? Why would you be concerned if I backed out of my date with Aeri or not Toji?" Shinji looked towards his friend for an answer. He was poised to respond too, only to get an elbow in his ribs for the trouble. Hikari replied for him, and more honestly than Toji ever would have.

"Because banana brain over here has this insatiable fear that if you don't go through with your date with Aeri, then you would immediately run off with Asuka and elope or something, and that would somehow turn Toji's life into a living hell!"

"It's for his own damn good! The further we can pull the red-devil's horns out of him the better!"

"Whatever." Pushing past her boyfriend, Hikari looped her arm around Shinji's and proceeded to drag him towards his destination. Toji wasn't all that thrilled with her action, but of course he wasn't going to give her the satisfaction of knowing she'd gotten a rise out of him. He was well aware that she wasn't happy that he kind of delayed they're own date night to check up on Shinji, but he hadn't expected her to be this miffed about it. He crossed his arms defiantly, and elected to just wait for her to return.

"Hikari…" Shinji used simply her name to ask what the hell was going on. Hikari let go of his arm and offered a soft smile.

"There's no need to run Shinji… You can do this. If you searched for a hundred years you wouldn't be able to find another girl you had less of a chance of screwing things up with. Just act like you do when you're with her at school and you'll be fine."

"This is a lot different than that though… The date, it was kind of a spontaneous thing, and I really haven't had time to prepare myself."

"If you really like this girl then you should've been prepared the moment you agreed to go out with her… Is there some kind of reason you have for not wanting to go on this date other than being scared? Everyone's scared on a first date, so that's not a good excuse to just bail."

Shinji thought hard about it… He could think of a couple, though none that justified standing Aeri up. He doubted a grand plan for getting Asuka out that sync test would be coming in the next few hours, and the other reason… Well, there was no reason to neglect living his life hoping that would ever happen. Feeling some of his tension ease, he returned Hikari's smile. "Thanks Hikari… Guess I better get over to her…"

"You're doing fine… Good luck Shinji." Hikari watched Shinji cross the street and inch closer towards his date with a mix of pride and regret. She was hoping, just maybe, he'd think of Asuka, and that would be reason enough for him not go through with his date. Oh well, Shinji deserved to be happy, and Asuka had plenty of chances to stake a claim to Shinji, all of which she squandered. She decided she let Toji squirm long enough, and with the obstacle of Ikari out of the way, they could finally continue their night out. If Toji thought he was going to get away with buying her Sushi or Ramen after what he'd pulled on her tonight, then he and his wallet were sadly mistaken.

Finally, as if the fog had suddenly cleared and beckoned Shinji into the light, he finally met with his date. After some initial awkwardness, his nerves seemed to ease and Shinji soon began to wonder what he was so afraid of in the first place. It helped that Aeri seemed just as nervous as he did. As the friendly chatter died down, nerves began to flare again as both waited awkwardly for some direction from the other. Shinji finally manned up and took the lead, walking the streets of Tokyo 3 until deciding on a nice restaurant several blocks away from where they'd started. The place was perfect really… Not overly fancy, but by no means a dive. The place wasn't too pricey either, however it wasn't cheap. It was the perfect choice for a seventeen-year-old kid to take his girl on a first date, just so long as said girl didn't have overly high expectations. Aeri just wasn't like that though, another point in her favor, and seemed more than content with Shinji's choice. The wait to be seated was a lengthy one, but it gave the kids plenty of time to talk, and the pleasant company seemed to make time pass faster. By the time they were seated and had ordered, Aeri's infectious personality had taken root, and Shinji had little doubt he was the luckiest guy in the room.

So then, why did he feel like he was doing something wrong? It wasn't that he wasn't enjoying himself, Aeri made it near impossible not to enjoy being around her. He felt almost guilty for enjoying himself somehow, as this nagging little voice in the back of his head continued to insist that he shouldn't be there… At least not with her. He didn't think he was feeling that way merely over Asuka and the looming sync test either. There was something else at work. He tried to keep up the image of the warm and happy date, but Shinji was never exactly skilled at putting up a false front. It didn't help either that he just naturally looked sad all the time. Aeri picked up on this almost as soon as the shift in Shinji's mood began, but decided to ignore it, opting instead to lay on the charm that much harder. She knew damn well what was bothering him, and she was going to be damned if that girl was going to ruin the plans she had for Mr. Ikari. As Shinji grew less and less responsive, she decided she would finally have to make lite of his wandering eye… Er mind that is…

"Okay, enough is enough Shinji… I'm only half sure what's on your mind, but I'm damn certain that it's not me."

"Wha…" Shinji was taken aback by how observant his date was… And she was taken aback by how Shinji seemed to have no clue how easy to read he was. "Oh sorry, I didn't mean to zone out there… Just thinking about NERV stuff, that's all."

"Well, unless that NERV stuff relates to a certain red-headed European girl with a bad attitude, then I'd have to say you're not giving me the common courtesy of the truth…"

Shinji wasn't sure how to respond to that. He wasn't really lying, NERV crap was on his mind, and that stuff did have everything to do with Asuka. Of course he couldn't tell her any of that. "I'm sorry… You're right, I was thinking about Asuka, but it's not what you think… I can't go into details but there's stuff going on at NERV right now, and she's too stubborn to realize it would really benefit her to take a step back. I've been racking my brain for a week now trying to talk sense into her, but I'm getting nowhere…"

"Doesn't surprise me… It's ironic really. That girl has spent her entire life focusing on what's best for her, so it doesn't surprise me at all that she's incapable of seeing what actually is good her…"

Shinji managed to stifle a frown. He really didn't like it when Aeri insulted Asuka… The reason why puzzled him too, as she never really said anything about Asuka that Shinji hadn't said a thousand times in so many words. It was the same thing with Toji and Kensuke though, or whenever somebody else bad mouthed the German spit-fire. More times than not, Shinji got his dander raised. "Again, I'm sorry Aeri… Here I was, excited to see you tonight and hoping to distract myself from what's been going on at NERV and with her… It's not fair to you either, to be distracted by her when you've been so nice to me…"

Apparently Shinji's explanation was good enough, seeing as Aeri perked up. "It's fine Shinji… Just as long as you keep your eyes and thoughts on me for the rest of the evening, then all is forgiven."

"Thank you Aeri…" Shinji nearly bit his tongue as Aeri covered his hand with hers. Calling the look on her face seductive was an extreme understatement. It was the kind of look that turned boys like Shinji blood red in the face, and partially destroyed their brains.

"I think I'm going to hurl…"

What Aeri had intended to be a romantic overture exploded as if the UN had just ordered an N2 mine dropped on it. Now it was Aeri turning red in anger, as Shinji shifted from red to white. Looming over their table was none other than the girl they'd just been discussing, one Asuka Langley Soryu. She didn't appear angry, but annoyed more than anything. "Asuka?!"

"You can't be serious?!" Aeri growled, not happy at all about her fellow red-head interrupting her moment with Shinji. "Why the hell are you even here?"

"That's nothing you have to worry your empty little head about…" Asuka grinned confidently as she scanned Aeri up and down, sizing up her opposition. Asuka had always taken great confidence in her appearance, however Aeri was one of the few girls Asuka had ever met that made her feel somewhat insecure. The way that dress hugged her body was only making the perception worse. It was time to take the little tramp down a peg. "Nice dress… I believe I've seen that one in the movies… You know, in the scenes just before the dress gets ripped off, and the two guys take turns giving it to her up the butt."

"Up the butt?" Aeri's first instinct was to ask what exactly they'd be sticking up that poor girl's butt, but stopped herself. She couldn't afford to let her ignorance show in front of Shinji. She'd spent countless hours studying human social patterns as she molded herself to be the very vision of Shinji's ideal mate, but still, she was only impersonating a human. Her research could only take her so far. She couldn't for the life of her fathom how any human would enjoy having anything stuck in their anal cavity. From what she understood of human anatomy, the anus was primarily used as an exit. Just to be on the safe so though, Aeri decided to feign being offended. "You're just jealous because you couldn't dream of making this dress look this good on you…"

"Whatever, I have zero interest in what you think I can and can't wear…" Asuka snarled, then shifted her attention to Shinji, and proceeded to act almost as if she'd forgotten Aeri was still in the room with them. "You! Why aren't you answering your phone dingus?!"

"My phone?" Shinji was understandably confused as he didn't own a cell phone.

"Yes, your NERV issued phone? The one you're supposed to keep on you at all times in case we're needed in an emergency?!"

"That phone? Oh, I didn't bring it…"

"Well, why the hell wouldn't you bring it?!"

"Because there hasn't been an emergency to speak of in over a year! We never use those phones, so I didn't see any point in bringing it with me…"

"Figures… Well, for you information, Misato's been trying to call you for over an hour! There's an emergency, and we're needed at the Geofront ASAP!"

"Emergency? What kind of emergency?!" Shinji worried, immediately faced with flashes of something horrible having happened to Misato or Rei.

"Yes, what kind of Emergency?" Aeri asked, her eyebrow raised. She clearly had her doubts that there was any type of emergency at all.

Asuka ignored Aeri, and addressed Shinji. "How should I know?! You know how they are, they're not going to give us any information until the last possible second before we need to know! The reason why doesn't really matter to me quite frankly, I'm much more concerned that I'm going to be late because I had to go out into the city and track down some idiot who just wanders off without leaving anyone any ability to get a hold of him if the need arises!"

"Okay, I get it! I should've have left my phone behind…"

"No you shouldn't have… Now, can you ditch the chick in the porn-star-in-training outfit so we can get going?!"

"Asuka!" Shinji snapped before looking over to Aeri regretfully. "Aeri…"

"I understand Shinji." Aeri put on her best smile. "When the world's most powerful organization calls you into the office, you really aren't in any position to say no. I knew there was a chance things like this were going to happen…"

"I'm sorry, I promise I'll make it up to you later if you'll let me…"

"I told you Shinji, I'm not going anywhere." The girl smiled reassuringly, though this failed to make Shinji feel any less horrible for having to skip out on her.

"I'll call you later if it's not too late when I get home…" Shinji offered, but was cut off by Asuka grabbing him none too gently by the wrist and pulling him up to his feet. "Asuka!"

"We don't have time for this! You can grovel for forgiveness later!"

As Asuka pulled him towards the exit, Shinji looked back at Aeri to once again display his regret. Aeri waved, and waited until the pair was out the door before allowing the snarl that had been forming to violate her face. Emergency at the Geofront her ass… Frustration mounting, she slammed her fist against the table… Prompting everyone else seated nearby to look on in shock as the dining table hit the ground in several pieces. Feeling their stares, Aeri blushed faintly and tried to laugh it off. "Whoops… Don't know my own strength I guess."

Without any resistance from the staff or the other guests, Aeri sat up and walked out of the restaurant.

"Slow down, will you Asuka?!" They hadn't gotten two blocks down the road, and already Shinji felt his arm might dislodge from his shoulder at any moment. "I promise I'll keep up, you don't have to drag me the entire way to the Geofront!"

"Fine!" Asuka practically tossed his arm away as if she were tossing a soda can out of a car window. "You better keep pace though! I'm late enough as it is because of you!"

"Fine, fine, let's just go…" Shinji paused noticing an issue with the direction they were headed. "Um, isn't the Geofront in the other direction?"

"Yes baka, but it would take too long to backtrack towards the apartment," Asuka replied snidely. "There's a secret NERV access point nearby, and we can reach the base much quicker if we use it."

"Secret access point? Then how do you know about it?"

"I guess since I have a brain, they're willing to trust me with that kind of information!" Asuka bit, wishing to any God that might be listening for Shinji to just shut up and follow her. She needed to get him as far away from Aeri as possible before one of them realized something was amiss. "Now come on!"

Shinji complied, and Asuka got her wish. Shinji quietly followed, trailing Asuka through the city streets of Tokyo-3… And through some of the more suburbanized areas on the outskirts of the city, and then back into the hustle and bustle again. Shinji wasn't sure about this secret entrance to the Geofront Asuka was talking about, but after an hour had passed he was sure of one thing… They'd already be at the Geofront by now if they'd taken their usual route. "Asuka, are you sure you know where we're going? We've been wandering Tokyo 3 for over an hour. Whatever kind of emergency is going on at the Geofront, we're probably going to get there way too late to help."

"Just shut up stupid! I know where I'm going!"

Asuka didn't know where the fuck she was going. Honestly, this wasn't even the plan going in. She had intended to intercept Shinji before he even met up with Aeri, but then Suzahara dragged his knuckles into the picture and completely uprooted her original plan. She just couldn't afford to be seen or confronted by Toji or even Hikari. The story of an emergency at NERV was dreamt up entirely by the seat of her pants. When she saw the pair seated together all smiles and giggles, something in her just popped. This party was just asking to be broken up, and while successful in prying Shinji away from Aeri's orbit, the hole in the rest of her non-plan was large enough to drive a fleet of tanks through. Even the brilliant mind of Asuka Langley Soryu couldn't find a way around her 'emergency at the base' fib that allowed her to save face at the same time. The result of this failure saw Asuka dragging Shinji across parts of Tokyo 3 they had never dared tread, on a fruitless search for an imaginary secret entrance to the Geofront to get them there in time to help with an over exaggerated emergency…. That is if something that never existed could be over exaggerated in the first place. Problem was, even an idiot like Shinji was going to realize something was up, and especially so once they reentered parts of the city they'd already passed through. As her luck would have it, that time was right now.

"Asuka… Be honest, do you know where you're going?"

"Of course I know stupid, now shut up and let me think!"

Sighing in exasperation, Shinji was in no mood to be quiet. He hadn't bailed out on his date to wander the streets of Tokyo 3 all night with Asuka because she was too stubborn to admit she took a wrong turn or something. He was glad he had prearranged for their meal to be charged to his NERV expense account so Aeri wouldn't be stuck with the bill. "If you can't remember how to get to the secret entrance that's fine… Just call someone at NERV and have Section 2 come pick us up…."

"We're not doing that, I know where I'm going!... Besides, I don't have my phone with me…"

"You didn't bring your phone?! Weren't you yelling at me for not bringing my phone on my date?!"

"That's different! I didn't have time to get *my* phone because I was in too much of a hurry to find your ass! You didn't bring your phone because *your* an idiot! If I hadn't had to of gone out looking for you and Miss Eva-freak, I'd have my phone with me and we wouldn't be stuck out here!"

"Hold on?... You're saying it's my fault that you forgot your phone?!"

"Well, it sure the hell isn't my fault! Now shut up and keep walking! We can't afford to waste anymore time…"

Shinji was no longer in the mood to walk, and even less interested in taking any more orders from the bossy red-head. Asuka made it half a block down the street before she realized Shinji was no longer following her. "What are you doing baka?! You don't have time to take a nap!"

"I'm not chasing your tail anymore Asuka! You obviously don't know where you're going, and even if you did, by the time we finally get to the Geofront, I doubt it'll be in time to be of any help with this emergency you claim we're having!"

Shinji flinched and took a couple of steps back as Asuka stomped towards him with a dangerous look in her eye. The kind of look that, at one time, made Shinji weak in the knees, pray to God for salvation, and nearly wet his pants all in less than a second. Nowadays, that look only made him pray and urinate just a little bit. "I don't like your tone Third… Are you calling me a liar?!"

"No, that's not…" Shinji stumbled. He hadn't meant to imply that he thought she was lying, but when he thought about what he'd said, he realized that's basically what he'd done. "I just don't understand why we've been wandering aimlessly across town for the past hour when it would've taken thirty minutes to walk back home, or call NERV to have someone pick us up…"

"You want to go back to Misato's so badly? Then just fucking go already! Find your own damn way to the Geofront, I'll walk there myself! Do whatever you want! Hell, go jump in front of a bus or something, I don't give a damn!"

"Asuka!..." The Third Child was at a loss over Asuka's behavior. Not that he ever claimed to understand her. He debated whether or not he should try to find a way to the Geofront on his own, or tail after Asuka and figure out what was going on with her. Whatever this emergency was, it couldn't have been too serious in Shinji's mind. If something truly dangerous was going down, such as an Angel attack or the like, Asuka would've moved heaven and earth to make sure she was on the front lines when the shit went down. Not to mentioned that Section 2 should've swooped in and escorted them to the Geofront before they had time to blink, but he hadn't seen hide nor hair of them. Misato had greatly scaled back the monitoring of the pilots since she took over, but Shinji was well aware that they were still being monitored most of the time. Asuka's actions weren't making any sense… And he needed to find out what they meant.

Shinji tracked Asuka to a movie theater not far down the road. It was your typical post Third Impact movie house. They hadn't really changed much since before the world almost ended. Most were merely smaller as not nearly as many movies were made as there used to be. Most modern theaters included a bargain section where movie goers could view previously released films for a buck or two. Shinji didn't have to think hard over which theater he'd find her in. Asuka wasn't about to pay full price on a movie ticket just to get away from him… Of course, it never once dawned on Shinji that she might be trying to be obvious because she wanted him to follow her.

Shinji couldn't help but smirk when he walked into theater 9, and quickly found that certain someone seated in the dead center of the theater. That flowing head of red-hair would give her away almost anywhere on that giant island nation… Asuka being the only person in that particular theater didn't hurt the search either. Cautiously, Shinji made his way towards Asuka's seat, ensuring three empty seats were between them before sitting down himself. Asuka made no indication that she noticed his presence, but Shinji had little doubt that she had. He stayed silent at first, staring up at the large screen at a movie that must've been half over at that time judging by the 7:30 start time. It was one of those Feudal Samurai movies that seemed to sprout all over Japanese cinema like some kind of fungus. Shinji appreciated Japanese history as much as the next guy, but did everything have to be samurai swords and feuding clans? It was as if the entire county was living in the past… But then again, with the future having looked so bleak until recently, that was probably the point.

"I thought you hated these kind of movies?" Shinji said eventually, whispered actually for some reason, as if he was actually going to disturb anyone in the empty theater.

"I do, but I damn sure wasn't going to pay full price to see a good movie knowing some idiot was going to follow me inside just to chase me back out."

"Well, you haven't raced for the exit yet, so that's good… I take it that the emergency at NERV must not have been all that serious if you have the time to take in a movie…" To Shinji's surprise, Asuka didn't become irritated. He wondered if, maybe perhaps, he'd been successful in not sounding like a total smartass. In reality, Asuka was in brainstorming mode, and could not spare the brain cells, time, or desire to come up with a snappy comeback to put her fellow pilot in his place.

She had two options open to her… One, she could tell Shinji the truth… She frowned as she could've sworn she heard her subconscious laughing at her. Didn't really matter if she was hearing things or not, there was no way in hell that was happening. That only left option 2, lie her ass off. That left one last question. What kind of yarn could she spin and save face in the process? It took a minute, but she finally managed to construct what she considered the perfect fabrication. "Look, you better not laugh or so much as smirk at me, otherwise you'll be eating through a straw for the next six weeks! I… The secret entrance wasn't where I thought it was, and I didn't want to admit my mistake after insisting on taking that entrance so I started wandering through the city hoping to find anything that might jog my memory, but that didn't happen. So yeah, when you accused me of not knowing where I was going, I may have been oversensitive at that exact moment. Who cares right? A couple of minutes before you called me out, I received a text informing me that the emergency was taken care of and we were no longer needed… I was too embarrassed to tell you…And yes I lied about forgetting my phone too, so just lay off okay?"

Asuka turned her head away, and even managed a faint blush to help top off the tall tale. Shinji seemed to buy the story, and appeared rather shocked by it actually. Had the infallible Second Child just admitted to making a mistake? People had been struck by lightning several times in the same spot more often than something like this happened. No seriously, it was like seeing Bigfoot throwing a barbecue in your backyard dressed in your bathrobe, only far more rare. What Shinji didn't know of course, was since the entire story of an emergency at NERV was a fabrication, Asuka didn't feel she was admitting to anything. In her somewhat distorted view of things, she wasn't showing weakness by admitting to have blundered since the mistake in question never actually occurred. It was merely a lie to keep Shinji in the dark concerning her true reasons for busting up his date with Aeri. No, she wasn't showing weakness, she was showing off her brilliance by being able to so *flawlessly* lure Shinji away from Aeri, and managing to defuse the figurative bomb she planted at NERV. This explanation was at least enough to placate Asuka's pride.

"I see…" That was all Shinji said, surprising Asuka somewhat. She was expecting him to either apologize or try and rub her fraudulent mistake in her face. Asuka would never quite be sure why, but what he actually did say next really caught her off guard. "So you barged in the restaurant and ruined my date for basically no reason?"

Shinji didn't sound bitter or upset as he said this. He was just so matter-of-fact about it, and for some reason this annoyed the German red-head. "If you're expecting me to apologize for that, than you're dumber than I give you credit for… If anything, you should be thanking me for saving you from an evening of listening to her stupid mousy voice verbally going down on your Evangelion…"

"For your information, I was having a really good time when you showed up…" Shinji's voice was steady and even, showing no signs of bitterness or anger. "You breaking our date up wasn't entirely a bad thing though… I wasn't entirely comfortable being there, as pleasant as she was to be with… Something just never quite felt right…"

"Good, then I won't have to listen to you gripe… Now shut up and let me watch this horrible movie…"

"Oh, I'm not quite done yet… You did ruin my date, so the way I see it is you still owe me one…"

"Oh really?" Asuka asked, with only a tad of condescension. Most people who dared accuse Asuka Soryu of owing a debt to them would've found themselves with her fist lodged somewhere in their face. For Shinji though, she let it slide primarily out of pure shock of his audacity and curiosity as to how he wanted to try and collect this so-called debt. With any luck, he'd say something that would earn him a nice slap across his face. "What exactly do you expect me to do in order to repay this so-called debt Third Child?"

"Skip out on the sync test with me," Shinji suggested bluntly, the surprise evident in Asuka's wide eyes.

"This again?! Why are you so determined for me to miss this test?!"

"It's not that I want you to miss the test per se…" Shinji stammered nervously, hoping he'd used that expression correctly, and struggling to come up with words that wouldn't come back to bite him on the ass later. "I just don't want to participate, and I don't want to skip the test on my own… If one pilot misses one sync test, nobody is going to think twice about it, but if two decide to boycott the test, that would make a much stronger statement don't you think?..."

Shinji could feel the sweat forming on his brow as Asuka scrutinized him, as if she was trying to find the world 'liar' literally etched into his face somewhere. Shinji waited anxiously, hoping that somehow she would buy his poorly executed lie. Good thing for Shinji that he was accustomed to his luck being shit, so he was prepared when she called him on it. "You so suck at lying Third… You don't have a rebellious bone in your body, let alone would you dare risk disappointing your precious Commander… So spill it! What's really going on with you? You don't think I can sync with my Unit 2 anymore?! Are my scores so low, that NERV is trying to replace me again?! If something's going on, then you better tell me about it!"

"No, no! It's nothing like that Asuka, I swear!... I really just don't want to take part in…"

"Liar!" Asuka practically knocked Shinji out of his seat, as she seemed to jump over all three seats between them until she was over top of him. "I'm taking that sync test, and you better be there to watch as I blow yours and Wondergirl's scores into low Earth orbit! I'm going to remind every idiot in the Geofront what a real pilot looks like, and you better be there to see it or I'll personally dispatch Section 2 to drag your sorry ass back to base!"

Not five seconds after that threat left her lips, Asuka had already stormed out of the theater and disappeared among the bright city lights of Tokyo 3. She left behind her, a shell-shocked Shinji Ikari wondering what the hell it was he'd just done wrong. "Damn it…" He muttered before banging his head against the felt of the chair in front of him repeatedly. "Damn it, damn it, damn it, damn it!"

* * *

Kaworu had no doubt in his mind that Shinji Ikari had a super power. This power was the uncanny ability to confound and annoy the women in his life to levels of near homicidal rage. He understood this now, better than ever as he watched his dear sister pace back and forth in her cellar/his 'prison', fuming over her inability to understand or manipulate one solitary teenage boy. His dear little Aeri looked positively adorable when she was frustrated or angry.

"I don't understand! What is it that I'm doing that isn't working?! I've been polite, friendly, and I've pretended to be interested in all of his hobbies and interest as well as all that other Lilin nonsense! I've given him absolutely no reason to reject me, and yet even when alone with me, his mind never leaves that girl…"

"That's one of the many fascinating things about the Lilin dear sister… Their bonds with certain others can often be strong enough to skew their opinions of the person in question to a point where that Lilin is the only person they can see…"

Aeri stalked over to her captive and bent down to get in his face. "Are you suggesting this is true of Ikari? That these Lilin emotions of his are causing him to favor the Second Child, even while I'm clearly the more suitable match for him?"

Kaworu's response was his trademark smirk, and while that look infuriated Aeri to the end of the Earth and back, at least it provided her with an answer. "That's completely illogical… Why would he prefer the tumultuous relationship he has with the Second Child, for the more desirable relationship I'm trying to offer him! I've modeled myself specifically to be his ideal match, and yet you still claim he prefers this girl that acts as if she despises him more than I do?!"

"The Lilin are not logical creature's sister… More times than not, they allow their emotions to dictate their actions, rather than bending to the will of logic. This is one of the many things that fascinate me about them. Still, I have to wonder sister… Is the reason you are so upset over this because of Shinji's devotion to Ms. Soryu is hindering your plans, or perhaps is your pride hurt because you can't hold the interest of a Lilin boy already desperate for any form of affection from another Lilin? This doesn't bode well for your ability to woo now does it?"

"Hold your tongue traitor…" she spat as she stood up. "As if the opinion of a pathetic human could possibly affect my pride. I should thank you though brother, you have opened my eyes to the major flaw in my plan…"

"Have I now?"

"Indeed…" Aeri smirked as she turned her back to him. "When you have a mission to complete you have to expect to encounter obstacles, and when you do, you must overcome these obstacles in order to complete your objective… Or remove the obstacle all together… If the Second Child is truly what's keeping me from gaining to devotion of Ikari, then the answer is simple. If I remove the Second Child from the picture, there will be no one left for him to divide his affections between."

Tabris was no longer smiling. He did not like where this was headed. "There's a flaw in that logic dear sister… If you do harm too the Second Child, it would do great damage to the psyche of the Third, perhaps even shatter him completely. The Lilin do not just simply forget their loved ones when they pass and move on. It's more than likely you'll find it harder to win over Shinji if any harm comes to the girl."

"Perhaps… But like you said, it would cause Ikari great distress. That might be enough for me, especially if he's too devoted to the Second Child to ever surrender his heart to me."

"Aeri, you're walking a dangerous line here…" Tabris called after his sister as she escaped his vision and began scaling the stairs. "Father will not appreciate you harming the Lilin without his consent…"

The reminder seemed to give Aeri pause, but only for a second. "Don't lecture me on what Father thinks of my actions… Your words are merely the ramblings of a traitor to his race, and hardly worth hearing let alone respecting…"

Without another word, Aeri exited the basement room and closed the door behind her, confident Tabris was locked away and unable to meddle in her plans. Kaworu calmly slipped his wrists out of his shackles, and boy did he plan to meddle. It had been fun playing prisoner in order to keep an eye on his sister and ensure her plans didn't threaten to get out of control. The fun and games were over. He could not allow Aeri to do harm to the Second Child… He had put way too much work into Asuka for Aeri to ruin it all now.

* * *

"Stupid Shinji…" Asuka muttered those familiar words as she thrashed about her bed finding sleep elusive. This was not unexpected considering the day she'd had, and really not that unwelcome. Sleep was a place where dreams lied in wait to remind her of her every last heartache and repressed memory she had tried with all her might to bury.

"I'll show them all… I was born to pilot Eva. It's what I've always been meant to do… I'll regain my status, and I'll be the best damn pilot they've ever seen… Even if we never see a damned Angel again."

In truth, Asuka had no idea why Shinji was acting so gung-ho over getting her to skip the upcoming sync test. She just assumed that Shinji assumed that her pride couldn't handle another bad sync score because well… That seemed to be the general opinion of all her friends and the so-called people that looked out for her, treating her with kid gloves and preparing as if every bad sync score she received was going to be the one that finally pushed her over the edge. As if she was too mentally weak to handle failure… She hated being treated like she was weak in any form or fashion. Most of all, she loathed the thought of Shinji seeing her as weak. As painful and near impossible as it was for her to admit, his opinion of her mattered to her… Maybe more than anyone except maybe herself.

"I don't need your pity you idiot… I'll show you and everyone else..." Asuka flipped sides and through the darkness her eyes met another pair of shiny orbs darkened somewhat by the hood the owner of those eyes wore over his head. Even through the darkness, his always present smirk was all too visible.

"Good evening."

Somehow, someway, by the grace of God perhaps, Asuka managed not to scream though she was startled enough that her body briefly left the bed as it tried to escape her room through the ceiling. Quickly gathering herself, rage replaced fear. "Don't do that Damn it!" Rage just as quickly made way for confusion. "This isn't good… I know for a fact I'm not asleep, and you're here… I really am going crazy…"

"Why are you so sure you're not asleep? Seeing as I'm here, that would seem to suggest that you nodded off at some point…"

"Oh, can it already, I know damn well that I'm awake! I'm not an idiot, I can tell the difference between the dreaming and waking world when I'm actually awake!"

"So it would seem…" the cloaked figure sighed. As much as he enjoyed his previous visits with the fiery red-head, he had little time to be cryptic or partake in their usual banter. "I apologize for the sudden intrusion, but I'm afraid events are moving faster than I anticipated. I promise that I will explain everything momentarily."

"Explain what? What the hell are you…" The cloaked man placed his thumb and index finger upon Asuka's forehead. Before she could angrily swipe his digits off her person, she felt a strange sensation surge through her head before she passed out dead asleep.

End Chapter 9

 _I'm going to be honest with you, I'm not really that happy with this chapter, but three rewrites were enough. I needed a bridge to the next couple of chapters, and I promise they're going to be fun. Well they were for me to write at least. It's going to take a while to edit and put the finishing touches on them, but I'll get them out as soon as possible. I'll be wrapping up Asuka's dream arc in the next chapter and a half. It's been fun, but that part of the story has run it's course. As for what's going on with Asuka's dream visitor, you'll find out early in Chapter 10. It really shouldn't be much of a surprise... Wasn't exactly trying to keep it a secret. Thanks for reading!_


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Asuka awoke to somewhat familiar surroundings… The same void she had visited when her subconscious first made itself known to her, and the same fool who just happened to be floating next to her seeming to be waiting patiently for her to get her barrings straight. "What the… Okay, so I'm obviously asleep now, but how?... What did you do to me?!"

"I induced sleep is all… It's the easiest way for us to conduct our business…"

"Oh, is that what you call it?" Asuka began circling the hooded man, her suspicions of him growing. "How does one's subconscious induce sleep on a person, or appear to said person while she's awake for that matter?!"

The hooded figure did not respond right away, and for once wasn't smiling. "I suppose it's all a matter of perspective…"

"Don't give me that crap! I'm not a gullible idiot… Even if you're not my subconscious manifested, you should know that by now… Speaking of which, it would seem my hunch was right and you're not… But if your not my subconscious, then what the hell are you?!"

"Does it matter who or what I am? Is it not enough that you know I'm here to help you?"

"Of course it's not enough! I've fought Angels, lived through Instrumentality, I've piloted a giant robot housing the soul of my dead mother! You better be damn sure that I don't take anything at face value, especially from some being who can apparently waltz in and out of my dreams at will, and just happens to be privy to all my darkest fears and desires… I'm not about to participate in any more of your mind games until I know who the fuck you are, and just what the hell it is you want!"

Again, the hooded figure responded with silence before eventually rediscovering his smirk. "I suppose there's no point in pretending to be something I'm not any longer…" There wasn't any time to waste either which is what prompted his decision. "It is my own fault I suppose, for rushing into things."

The hooded man slowly removed his hood, and the face hidden underneath that hood was the last visage Asuka had expected to see. The person in front of her was a complete stranger, yet his face was so familiar that she immediately wanted to punch him in it. Those red eyes… That hair on his head, so white that it almost shined, and the pasty white skin… Basically, he looked like the brother she never knew Wondergirl had. "What the fu… Who or what the hell are you?!"

"That's not important. What is important are my intentions. Let's just say that we have a mutual friend and we both have a mutual interest in you overcoming your demons. I'd explain further, but I'm afraid our time is limited."

"Well make time then! Because I'm not moving from this spot until you tell me exactly who the hell you are?! What exactly is your rush anyway?!"

"Because I'm afraid this will be the last time I'll be able to visit you…" Asuka's eyes widened in surprise, but managed to maintain a look of firm defiance. "Tonight will be your final test I suppose you could say…"

"Final test? What's that supposed to mean?"

"I've noticed a change in you Asuka Soryu… It's subtle and completely invisible to everyone other than myself and you, but it's there… This tells me that our meetings over the past few days have been worth the effort."

"That's your opinion," Asuka growled, stamping her foot impatiently.

"I explained to you before that there wasn't anything physically I could do to help heal the scares that have so defined your life and how you associate with the people around you. All I could offer was a glimpse into your past and how you handled yourself, and did so with the hopes that you may just learn how to cope with your past and interact with others in a less… Self-destructive manor. This test is merely a way to see if any of lessons have sunk in, or if you're going to continue to let your past traumas dictate the rest of your life and how you deal with others."

Asuka did not like the sound of this. "How the hell do you expect to measure that?"

"Simple really… Well, a simple concept, but achieving the desired goal is quite a bit more laborious of a task. Tonight you're going to encounter the people who have been the most important to you in your life, as well as some of the memories that have come to define you."

"That doesn't sound so bad… Wait, there's a catch isn't there?"

You guessed it, the young man smirked. "When you encountered the images of these people, you are to tell them exactly how you feel. From you heart… Not from how rage or your pride forces you to interact with them. Things you will likely never be able to say to them in the waking world. You must face each one of them as the true Asuka Langley Soryu, rather than hidden underneath the protection of the mask you use to try to blind the world to the inner you."

"You're joking right?! That idea's so cliché, it sounds like something some fanboy would come up with for some lame-ass fanfiction!"

"That's one opinion… Though perhaps you'd be better suited to view your predicament as the opportunity that it is…"

"What you call an opportunity, I see as a load of nonsense from some creep that I'm pretty certain I can't trust anymore!

"It really never does get any easier with you does it? My, I do feel for Shinji," the pale skinned man snickered to Asuka's annoyance. "Surely you're intelligent to see how this test can benefit someone like you… Someone who has difficulty opening up to people on a personal level, and who struggles to cope with adversity and difficult memories. This format will allow you to honestly open up and express your secrets, desires, and even your grievances and all without the threat of rejection or scarring that precious pride of yours. No one is going to judge you for what you say or do in your own dream, because there will be no one else here to see or hear it. You can say what you want, however you want to say it. They won't argue, they might not even talk back. They're simply here to listen, and hopefully you'll finally be able to tell them everything you find impossible to say to them when you're awake."

When the albino man put it that way, the premise of this test suddenly didn't seem so bad… Not that she was going to let him know he was managing to sway her opinion. "Let's say, hypothetically, that I play along with your little game… What good can come of confessing anything to anyone while I'm asleep!? That doesn't mean I'll suddenly be able to be honest with everyone while I'm awake!"

"Of course it doesn't… We're talking baby steps here Asuka, not a sudden cure. Surely though, your astute mind can see the benefit in practice can't you?"

"I hate it when you try to oversimplify things… I can practice pouring my heart to some dream induced mannequin until my hair falls out, and that still won't make it any easier for me to interact with people! If there's one thing I hate, it's wasting my time killing myself trying to achieve something that's not obtainable. What exactly are you going to do if I refuse to take this little test of yours, hmm?"

"I cannot force you do anything… I've done everything within my power to help guide you, so now what you choose to do with that aide is strictly up to you. In order to change you have to first be willing to change. I shall make no further attempts to influence you in anyway… Whether you decide to learn something from this experience, or you ultimately decide this entire ordeal was a colossal waste of time is completely up to you."

"Great! Then you shouldn't have any issues with me wanting you to wake me up right this instant!"

"Sorry, I can't do that… That would be interfering. Until you wake up naturally, I'm afraid you're stuck here. If I were you, I'd take full advantage of this opportunity…. Though I suppose you'd be more inclined to pace around this empty void passing blame for being stuck here to everyone you've ever known and ever will know other than yourself. Either way, I wish you the best Ms. Soryu…"

"I'm not giving any merit to a damn thing you say until you explain to me exactly who or what you…" The cloaked man ignored her completely and started walking away towards the vast abyss. "Hey, get back here! You owe me some answers damn it!"

Asuka gave chase, but to her surprise, the image of the being who posed as her subconscious slowly began to fade away. By the time the back of his shoulder was within distance for her fingertips to reach, he was gone, her hand grasping nothing by the emptiness of her dreamscape. She stopped her sprint, and suddenly was overcome by a mild sensation of disorientation. She composed herself, but found she was no longer a figure standing alone in a vast expanse of nothing, but rather standing in the sitting room of a familiar apartment building. The one she had lived in briefly before being transferred to Tokyo 3.

"This is…" Asuka's thought was broken up by the familiar voice of a man calling out her name. "Are you ready to head out yet Red?"

Asuka's knees went weak, but by some miracle she didn't fall over. "Kaji…" He didn't give off the vibe of being a character in some lonely girl's dream at all… He looked so real it was almost frightening. Her former guardian smiled, as only he could, and adjusted the tie that Asuka had never one seen remain straight for more than a couple of minutes at a time.

"Didn't you hear me? We need to be shoving off soon. There are only a few short days before you and Unit 2 will be on that boat sailing towards the Land of the Rising Sun. There are still a lot of things we need to get taken care of…"

Asuka remained silent, still in shock over Kaji's return from the dead… Of course this was just one of her many memories of him that she was currently reliving, so it wasn't like he had actually returned to the world of the living… He just looked and sounded so damn real though, he might as well have. After what felt like a short eternity, Kaji waiting patiently for her response the entire time, Asuka finally responded with a shaky nod of her head. "Okay…"

With only a smile in response, Kaji escorted Asuka outside and to a very familiar vehicle. The very same Opel that Kaji used to escort her to the NERV Branch in Germany, to school, to the mall, or to the occasional restaurant or movie, trips that Asuka used to classify as 'dates'. It was as if the car was ripped straight out of one of her flashbacks. It even had the same stains in the upholstery, and reeked of cheap cigarette smoke.

The man behind the wheel of the car did little to pull Asuka out of the perpetual state of stunned silence she was stuck in, more than likely because he was little more than a fading memory provided to her for… Well, Asuka still wasn't sure what the hell she was supposed to do with this… Opportunity as her fraudulent subconscious had put it. Kaji would look over to her from time to time with that familiar smile, which at one point, could drive Asuka's insides to perform somersaults. She looked back at him with a look that rested somewhere between confusion and fear. Suddenly feeling the urge to look at anything other than the other occupant of the car, Asuka focused on the world that existed outside the vehicle as it sped by. It only took several minutes of observation for Asuka to notice they would travel a mile or so down the road before the scenery began repeating itself… Asuka's sharp mind soon after, surmised that this ride wasn't going to end until she was ready for it too… And damn it was she ever ready.

"Let's stop here Kaji…" she requested seemingly at random, because it was.

"Here? You sure Red?" the driver asked. "We're still nowhere near headquarters…"

"And we both know we'll never get there… Let's just stop for a few minutes and watch the sunset okay?"

"If that's my lady's wish." Kaji polished off his cheesy one-liner with a grin as he pulled off the road and up towards a hill overlooking the German countryside. Quietly, Asuka exited the vehicle and took a seat atop the hill, and waited for Kaji to join her. She no longer felt quite so overwhelmed by the situation, but remained guarded as she didn't want to lose herself in the illusion that Kaji was really there with her.

"Quite the gorgeous view isn't it?" Kaji commented before lighting up a cigarette. "I never took you for one who'd enjoy taking in the sun as it sets on the horizon."

"It's not so bad I guess…" That was an understatement. In truth, Asuka loved watching the sunset, and probably would've loved the sunrise too if it wasn't necessary to wake up at the butt crack of dawn to witness it. She enjoyed the sunset though, especially on cool spring and summer nights but had never shared this information with anyone. She didn't want to be viewed as sentimental or soft because she enjoyed something so universally viewed as romantic.

Another long silence ensued as Kaji's stand-in waited patiently for Asuka to do whatever it was she felt she need to do. The girl in question couldn't help but notice the sun wasn't getting any lower in the sky. She couldn't fight back the small smile tugging at her lips either.

"I've always wanted to watch the sunset with you like this Kaji… Of course, my vision of this moment including us holding hands, making out, and doing… Well, you could probably guess where it went from there…"

"Even though you were well aware that type of relationship was never a possibility for us." There was no indignation in Kaji's voice. He was simply stating a fact and nothing more.

"That was always part of the appeal," Asuka sniffed as she felt tears begin to well up, her memories of Kaji beginning to overcome her. "I was always so terrified of letting people get close to me, and especially that close… What better way to shield myself from getting hurt then by latching myself on to someone I knew would never even consider having that kind of relationship with me. At the same time, I could keep my pride in tact because you were too kind and considerate of my feelings to outright crush my little fantasy. My infatuation with you allowed me to present a normal front to my peers. You were my Ideal vision of what a man should be, and I was able to convince pretty much everyone at school that I was already involved with this great awesome guy, and that's the reason I wasn't interested in dating any of the boys from school…"

Asuka was realizing what a hypocrite she really was. She hated wasting time trying to obtain the unobtainable…. That's what she had said earlier, but that's basically what she'd been doing her entire life… When she entered the Eva program to win back the love and attention of a mother that was no longer aware of her existence. Convincing herself that positioning herself as NERV's top pilot was going to earn her the attention and admiration she felt she deserved, while all along being smart enough to realize that her aggressive attitude and insecurities were going to counteract all the positives she received from excelling as an Eva Pilot… Building up this grand image of herself as this beautiful, tough, intelligent, talented, and just overall superior individual… As if just by exuding confidence, everything she needed in life would just fall at her feet.

One of her worst efforts of all was her abuse of Shinji emotionally, tarring him down as much as possible as if completely destroying his self-worth would kill the intense feelings he had stirred up in her. Ha, it made her laugh now just to think about it. Her entire life she'd been trying to obtain the unobtainable, all the while forsaking what she could've had, never allowing herself to consider that just maybe she could've been happy with what she convinced herself that she didn't want.

"I've wanted to thank you Kaji…" She sniffed as she wiped the moisture from her eyes that was now falling more freely. Kaji was probably the only person she'd ever known that could stir up that kind of emotion in her, and her not feel ashamed to let it show. "You always played your roll perfectly… The caring guardian who, while you never took my advances towards you seriously, you never tried to hurt me by making me feel like my feelings weren't important or genuine because I was so much younger than you… You never once took advantage of me either like a lot of sick bastards would have. You always had the best of intentions at heart, but you never treated me like a child either… That was always so important to me. Whether it was guardian, friend, or comrade, you were always what I needed you to be when I needed you to be it…"

Asuka seemed to chock on those words, as she couldn't help but feel saddened by them. In a way, this is what truly set Kaji and Shinji apart, at least in respect to their dependability. Shinji was rarely what she needed when she needed him to be. He was always Shinji, and there didn't appear to be a lot of layers to him. To be fair, he had been getting better at it recently, and had shown flashes in the past… Still though, he just wasn't someone she could depend on, on a consistent basis, a trait Asuka highly valued. It was one of those things that just made it so difficult for Asuka to accept what her heart was trying to force-feed down her throat.

"That was my job at the time Asuka…" Kaji spoke up suddenly, pulling Asuka's train of thought back on the correct track. "And my favorite job at that. I do apologize that I could never reciprocate the romantic feelings you felt for me. The age difference was just too great, and besides…It would've been like dating my kid sister…"

Surprisingly, Asuka didn't feel the least bit upset by this. Maybe it was because she already knew this, or perhaps because she knew this wasn't actually Kaji sitting next to her… More than likely, it was because that somewhere along the line, Asuka had accepted that the intense adolescent attraction she felt for Kaji was not love despite how convinced she was back then. The crush itself had faded over the years since Kaji's death, and perhaps more prominently, she no longer needed him for camouflage. Her aggressive and bitter attitude accompanied by their peers general assumption that she and Shinji were an item behind the scenes, effectively kept away unwanted male attention. Yes, the spark he at one time could lite in her may have dimmed to a flicker, but there was one thing she could never deny… God damn did she miss that man.

Asuka never responded to Kaji… She had nothing left she needed she say to him, content with what had already been said. "I'm ready to go now Kaji… Let's go to headquarters…"

Asuka followed Kaji back to the car and sat down inside. Before she could fasten the seat-belt though, the car disappeared and Asuka found herself sitting in a darkened room of a very familiar apartment. Sitting across from her was a troubled looking Misato Katsuragi, surrounded by empty cans of beer. Of course there was no way of knowing which of her memories this scene represented at first glance. Around the Katsuragi residence, an scene such as this would typically be referred to as Tuesday. The distress on her guardians face though, hinted this wasn't one of Misatos usual party hardy drinking binges.

Now as for why Asuka was looking over at her drunken guardian was a question Asuka would really like to know. How was a brooding NERV officer, who was obviously smashed out of her mind, supposed to be of any help to her? If Misato's visage was able to see Asuka, she wasn't giving any indication that she could. The silent wait that followed was intensely uncomfortable, and increasingly annoying. Asuka wanted to say something, anything really, just to see if Misato even knew that she was in the room with her. She elected, instead, to wave her hand in front of her face, but received no reaction… The fact that she was no longer alone didn't seem to register with Misato in the least, which led Asuka to assume Misato would not be able to see nor hear her… Why the hell was she even here then?! Great, one more fucking question to add to the pile.

"I'm horrible…" Misato slurred, seemingly to the table and small fort of empty adult beverages, though seeing nothing. Asuka's head perked up, wondering if Misato had finally taken notice of her presence, but just one look at her Guardian was enough to know Misato was oblivious to the world around her… Which meant she must've been speaking to herself. "What the hell was I thinking?! Agreeing to take those kids in… I can barely take care of myself, so how could anyone possibly think I'd be capable of guiding and nurturing two teenage kids?!"

"Oh that's right…" Misato spat, as Asuka listened intently almost against her will. "I was never expected to actually raise them… My only job was to make sure they kept breathing long enough to pilot those damn Eva's just so long as the Angels were still coming… Let's just ignore the fact that they're just fucking kids! Damn you Gendo… Your own son… They deserve so much better than what they've been given… I don't give a damn if we're fighting to preserve the human race! That doesn't excuse the fact that the bastards with all the money and power have decided the future and well-being of our children doesn't matter as long as they live another day to count their damn money!... What's the point of preserving the human race if we forsake everything it means to be human in the process? What the hell are we then?!"

Asuka sat with her mouth half open. Never before had Asuka heard someone speak so openly in her defense as a person, and not just to her value to the organization she worked for.

"I have no Idea what I'm doing… I can't give these kids what they need! I can't pretend to be a mother. I have no idea where to even start! Not to mention how inappropriate that even sounds. They'd probably resent me for even trying, thinking I was trying to replace their mothers or something… I've tried being a friend, I've tried acting like a big sister, and I've even tried to go about like their commanding officer… Nothing works! Asuka seems to get angrier and more resentful of everyone as each day goes by… When Shinji first arrived, it actually seemed like I was getting him to open up at little, but with each Angel battle, which each new adversity, he seems to retreat further and further into his shell. Worst of all, I can't get those two to get along to save my life! I just don't get it, if any two people were better equipped to lean on one another considering what they've been through, than I haven't met them… They seem so determined to hate each other just for the sake of hating each other…"

"I've considered that maybe it would be best to have Asuka live with someone else, but I just can't bring myself to do it… Those kids have been abandoned or pushed to the side more times than anyone deserves, and I refuse to do that too them again!…" Misato was balling now. She hid her face behind her hand which immediately became drenched. "I'm such a failure! I can't connect with those kids for anything, and every time I send them into battle against one of those bastards I'm just pushing them closer and closer to the edge… I don't deserve to have them in my life! They'd be better off with anybody else…"

"SHUT UP!" Asuka screamed, as she slammed her fists atop the table. Misato didn't react to her at all, but that didn't deter Asuka one bit. She was nearly shaking as she spoke. "You're not a damn failure! You were the only person in that damn complex that really gave a single shit about us…" Asuka's voice calmed, unconsciously shedding a few tears of her own. "I know I give you a hard time, but I'm like that with everyone… You and Kaji were always the only two people who have ever really been there for me… Who the fuck else would even want me?! You've got the most difficult job in the world Misato! You were trying to juggle taking care of two emotionally scarred kids who you regularly had to send into combat with the fate of the human race at stake, knowing there was always a chance we might not be coming back… I know I don't act like I appreciate any of it, but I really do… Hell, I guess if anyone does deserve to drink themselves stupid I guess it would be you…"

Asuka knew by this point that Misato couldn't hear her, but wanted to finish her rant anyway. It was something she had to say, something her pride would never let her share with her guardian in the waking world. That's when Misato did something unexpected. She picked her head up off the table and stared Asuka straight in the eyes as if seeing her for the first time… Then she lit up the room with one of the brightest smile's the German girl had ever seen. It turned her slightly red to be honest, but Asuka didn't have time to dwell on it. Misato's visage rapidly displaced into a fog like substance before evaporating entirely… Asuka then found herself standing in front of an apartment door. She immediately recognized the metallic numbers nailed to the wood.

"Hikari's place…" Asuka momentarily wondered why her path would bring her here… "Oh, that's right…" Asuka remembered that things had been less than peachy between the two in recent days. It wasn't even so much because of Hikari siding with Shinji after the infamous lunchroom incident, but rather because Hikari had developed this sudden fascination with *understanding* why Asuka was the way she was… Understanding Asuka meant getting closer to Asuka than she was willing to allow Hikari to get. Long story short, Asuka's defenses went up, and the not at all subtle distancing of herself from Hikari began… Asuka was thankful that she stopped herself and let Hikari back in, though conditionally, before she pushed one of the few true friends she ever had completely out of her life.

"No point in pretending that I don't know why I'm here… Might as well play along till this nightmare is done and over with…" Allowing a nervous breath to escape her lungs, she gently tapped upon the door. Unsurprisingly, the door was answered almost immediately, Hikari standing on the other end. She appeared surprised to see Asuka, the red-head in turn was thankful Hikari could actually see her. With a saddened expression she motioned for Asuka to enter her home.

Asuka took a seat on the sofa, as Hikari prepared two cups of tea for them in the kitchen… What for she didn't know, but Asuka just couldn't turn down the offer for whatever reason. Her absence did give Asuka time to think over exactly what she was going to say to her friend, and to deduce that the two of them must've been the only two people in the home. Hikari appeared next to the German pilot out of seemingly nowhere, holding a tray that supported dual cups of tea. Asuka accepted hers with a nod… Curious, she took a drink and was surprised to note that the beverage had a taste and quite a pleasant one at that. Leaving her tea on the coffee table, Hikari sat down next to her European friend with the same look of saddened reflection as before. Asuka noticed this, and couldn't ignore it anymore as the look was too reminiscent of Shinji, which quickly got under her skin.

"Stop moping like a sad puppy already! You can at least pretend you're happy to see me…"

There was a long pause that followed, which included Hikari taking the first sip of her tea. She placed the cup back on its plate, and then she folded her hands together like a proper young lady should. "It's not that I'm not glad to see you… It's just that I've come to understand that there are usually ulterior motives involved when you come to visit me."

Asuka's brow furrowed. "What do you mean by that?"

"Oh please Asuka, you're not even the smallest bit subtle about it… You rarely call me unless it's to complain, and the only time you ever want to hang out is when you're mad at Shinji or fighting with Misato… Not that I mind being your buffer when you need me to be, but there's really little I can do when you can't even pay me the courtesy of explaining what's bothering you. Who knows, I might actually be able to help.

"Hikari, I've explained this to you already…" Asuka tried to keep her voice level. "I don't need a bunch of friends around trying to play counselor or telling me what I'm supposed to feel and do… I just need someone to be there…"

"I know, you just want a fair weather friend, right… Damn it, get a dog if you want someone trailing behind you sniffing your butt and wagging their tail! It is always about you though isn't it?!"

"What are you talking about?!" Asuka was getting visibly and audibly angry now. "How is not wanting to burden you with my personal issues selfish?!"

"It's not because you keep those burdens to yourself Asuka, it's the reason you do… You're one of the few real friends I've ever had, and I consider you my best friend and I always thought you felt the same… Seeing as you completely shut me out, and only look to me as a tool you use to help kill time, it's obvious you don't see me any differently than some random person you could've pulled off the streets and call them your friend!"

"That's not even fair Hikari! I'm more open with you than I am with anybody else!"

"That's not saying a whole lot… You're not honest with anyone… It's clear you don't value my friendship any more than you would anyone random persons… Maybe you were right to put some distance between us… If you want friends that are mindlessly going to follow you around and agree with everything you say and do, then I'm sure there's no shortage of groupies you can find who'd be willing to fill that position. I'm sorry, I just can't be that person for you. I care about you too much to act like I don't care…"

Asuka hung her head, and starting thinking to herself. She'd had this conversation before… Not with Hikari directly, but with herself. Always terrified of admitting to possible weaknesses, she struggled to come to grips with just how frightened she was at losing Hikari as a friend. In the same breath, she was terrified to let the pig-tailed girl get too close, fearing Hikari would turn on her if she came to know too much about her… Or worse yet, eventually hurt and betray her just like everyone else in her life, that she remotely cared about, had. Just like Shinji did, Hikari could stir up emotions within her that Asuka didn't typically feel. It was these feelings that the Hikari seated next to her clearly represented. That internal struggle forcing her to chose whether she wanted to risk Hikari getting too close and rejecting her, or whether she wanted to cut the girl out of her life altogether if only to say that she ended the friendship on her own terms. Neither option seemed satisfactory to her.

"What do you want to know?" Asuka asked suddenly, causing Hikari to turn to her in surprise.

"What do you mean?..."

"What do you want to know about me? You say you want to understand me? You want to know why I am the way I am?... This is your chance to ask me anything you want… I can't promise you're going to like the answers, but this is supposedly what you want…"

Hikari responded without missing a beat. "Why do you push us away? The people who care about you the most… It's almost seems like it's the people closest to you that are the most expendable…"

Damn it, already this was harder than Asuka had feared it was going to be. She knew this wasn't the actual Hikari sitting next to her, and in essence she was talking to herself, but even this knowledge didn't make opening up to her best friend any easier. All Asuka had to do was look at her and damn… It was really hard to convince herself it wasn't Hikari. Not a single freckle seemed to be out of place. "It's funny that you used the term expendable… Because that's how I feel I've been looked at by people my entire life… My mother and her doll, my father abandoning me once I became a burden to him, living in constant fear that NERV was going to wash their hands of me if I even showed the slightest hint that I might not live up to my potential! Everyone I've ever let get close to me has betrayed or forsaken me on some level… Friends who turned out to be anything but… Misato for stealing Kaji away from me, and then always preferring Shinji to me… Shinji himself for not being strong enough to give me what I really need from him… Even Kaji for never returning my feeling for him, dumping me off with that old drunk who he was also banging behind my back, and then to top it all off, he goes and dies on me…" Asuka sniffed hard as she wiped her eyes… God, she had no idea what had gotten into her, she never cried this much.

"You didn't mention me…" Hikari pointed out softly. "I've never betrayed or forsaken you…"

"Not yet you haven't… Partly because I've never allowed you to get close enough to give you the chance to… You always saw my façade whenever we hung out… The mask of the exotic foreign Eva pilot who created this grand illusion that all was perfect in my world… Then the mess in the cafeteria happened, and you caught a glimpse of the real me… Right away you challenged me, like you were already starting to turn on me… Then, like a good friend does you wanted to try and understand me… That scared the living hell out of me, because I was afraid you wouldn't like the real me… Then you'd turn your back on me like everyone else, so I decided to push you away instead. That way, I could hurt you before you had the chance to hurt me… God, now that I'm thinking about it, I never realized what a lousy friend I really am…"

Asuka laughed, but there was zero merriment behind it. Hikari remained serious with her response. "I'm not those other people Asuka… I've never done anything to hurt you, and you know I never purposely would!"

"You're missing the point though! I used to have those same thoughts about most of those other people too… That they would never do anything to hurt me, and the only thing they all have in common is that they all found a way to hurt me… It's not you, so don't take it personally… It could be anyone else in your shoes, and I'd be just as wary of them… When you've been burned as many times as I have, you learn to keep your hands as far away from the flames as possible…"

Hikari looked solemn, as if starting to feel sorry for her…"Those people must've done some pretty awful things to you if they're still affecting your relationships with people now…"

"Some of them did… But only one truly mattered…"

"Who exactly was that?"

Asuka hesitated, again forgetting this wasn't actually Hikari sitting next to her. There didn't seem to be any reason not to tell her, Asuka was on a roll after all. "Do you remember when I told you that my Mom committed suicide when I was four?"

"Of course… How could I forget?"

"Well, that's only part of the story… What I never told you was that I was the one who found my mother after she hung herself…" Asuka felt no satisfaction at the sound of Hikari's gasp. "Not only that, but she'd strung up the doll she replaced me with right next to her… That one incident, in all honestly, has defined my entire life up until this point… Every fucked up thing I do, everything relationship I've ruined or never had is because of that one incident. That one fragment in time… You want to understand me Hikari, that right there is all you need to understand…"

"Oh Asuka…" Hikari's smile managed to look sympathetic and warm at the same time. "Why would you think I could possibly hate you over something like that?"

"Because it's made me a vindictive, angry, emotionally damaged bitch whose incapable of having a healthy relationship with another human being that isn't built around some childish fantasy!…"

"You have a healthy relationship with me… And nothing is going to change that, and I'm damn sure not going to let you drive me away… And before you go on some tangent about your past and how it's made you who you are, just stop because I don't care about any of that. What's happened in your past is your business, and I'm not going to judge you for it. All I care about is what you do in the future because I know just what an awesome and amazing person you can and will be Asuka."

This was strange… Asuka could almost hear the real Hikari saying those exact words… Thus she couldn't help but smile at them. "Thanks Hikari… It does feel good to hear you say that…"

"Of course it does, because you know I mean it… That's the kind of thing friends do for each other… Or at least try to do for each other when the other's not shutting them out…"

"Yeah, yeah, I get it, I get it…" Asuka said meekly. She showed no irritation nor anger, and in fact actually started to laugh. Hikari stared at the red-head momentarily before joining her with a soft snicker of her own. The two friends sat there for a moment or two quietly, when Hikari finally turned back to her dearest friend.

"I think it's time you go home now Asuka… He's waiting for you there."

"Who's waiting?…" Asuka stopped herself, recognizing quickly how stupid that question was. Her facial features suddenly tensed as she got serious. She nodded to her friend in thanks, and sat up from the couch. She started walking as if she knew exactly what was going to happen. Sure enough, Hikari's apartment disappeared and she found herself back in her apartment… In fact, right in front of the door sporting a little sign that read 'Shinji's Lovely Suite'. A Tsunami of dread threatened to drag her back into the sea, but it was lucky for her that her stubbornness to admit Shinji could so easily influence her emotions was significantly stronger than any natural disaster.

Or perhaps the gap wasn't so drastic… Perhaps they were closer to even actually. It's not like she was afraid to face Shinji, let alone a faux version of the dork, it was just that she wasn't quite prepared. Maybe if she had a day or two to ready herself, so she would know exactly how she wanted to attack this conversation with him, then maybe she wouldn't feel quite so apprehensive about it… She wasn't afraid, not at all… There was no way she was intimated by him. Not in the least… Damn it…

She could try and rationalize her feelings on the subject all night long, but that wasn't going to make this encounter any easier. Asuka decided the time for excuses was over… Maybe it was time to finally admit dealing with Shinji was more of a challenge than she ever dared to admit…

"No fuck that… Just open the damn door already, and let's get this bloodbath over with…"

Asuka reached for the doorknob… Then paused, pulled her hand back, then back to the door again, hesitated again, and finally just growled in frustration. "Damn it, I can do this!"

"I'm over here Asuka."

As if his words were made of ice, they seemed to freeze Asuka on the spot. After shaking the icicles off, she warily made her way to the sitting room, where Shinji was on the floor doing just that. He looked towards her warmly wearing a smile that held no hint of sadness. It was simply warm and inviting, and for some reason it made Asuka blush. Shaking the feeling off, she put on her game face and stomped over to Nega-Shinji as she now decided to dub him. Asuka towered over him, her hands on her hips as if waiting for him to do or say something profound. He did nothing but look up at her with the same inviting smile. That smirk was really starting to piss her off.

"Well! Are you going to say something baka, or are you just going to sit there like a stoner?!"

"I'm not planning on saying anything Asuka, that's not why I'm here. I'm here to listen and nothing more…"

"Oh yeah?!" Asuka snapped, almost feeling like she was being challenged. "What exactly are you expecting me to say?!"

"Whatever it is you want to say to me. Tell me exactly how you feel. Do you love me, do you hate me, or do you wish I never came back from Instrumentality? You can say or do unto me whatever you like. I will not respond, I will not get angry or emotional, and most importantly, I won't run away…"

Asuka pondered what the faux Shinji had said. "So, I can say or do anything I want to you and you won't react? Say, if I decided to strangle you right this second, you'd just sit there and stare at me with the same stupid ass smile?"

"Well, I can't promise I can hold the smile while you choke the life out of me, but I won't try to stop you, no. You can inflict any punishment on me you see fit."

"Oh, I can think of a few…" Asuka smirked evilly. "Now stand up baka!"

Shinji complied immediately. Asuka looked the fake Shinji up and down… Good God did he look like that idiot… Which made it so much easier for her to do what she did next...

She reared back her fist and planted it on the side of Ikari's jaw. If the boy had been real, he'd been spitting out teeth, or if not conscious perhaps even swallowing them. Instead, the only satisfaction Asuka received was a surprised grunt and the sound of his body hitting the ground. As promised, Shinji merely sat back up and looked up at her, awaiting whatever further torment she had in store for him… Asuka certainly wasn't done with him that was for sure. Asuka pounced on the boy, knocking him back to the ground, straddling his stomach. Grabbing the collar of his shirt, she slammed the back of his head against the floor and held him there. Shinji braced himself as her free hand rested just below his throat, fearing Asuka was going to make good on her threat to choke the life out of him…. Instead though, she simply held him in place as her eyes blared hatred towards his person.

"You want to know how I feel about you idiot?! I hate you! I hate everything about you! You're a whinny, cowardly wimp, you're selfish, a pushover, and you've never encountered a problem you didn't think you could solve by running away from it! You've bested me at every aspect of being an Eva Pilot when you never even wanted to pilot the damn thing, and you're so oblivious at times it's near maddening!"

Asuka stopped ranting if only to breathe. Her face was red with exasperation, and Shinji wondered if she was now prepared to go in for the kill. Oddly enough, she seemed to calm as her grip on his collar loosened. He was almost shocked to see tears begin leaking from her eyes. Nothing major, but witnessing even one or two from the head-strong German was a borderline wonder of the world.

"Then you go do something like pull my ass out of a volcano while risking serious damage to yourself… You make me breakfast in the morning for no other reason than because you wanted too, even when I show no appreciation for it… Then you defended me after Instrumentality when some of the big shots at NERV wanted to replace me… Then you forced yourself in my room on the anniversary of the worst day of my life, refuse to leave, and make me suffer through you companionship, because for once you finally saw through me when I demanded that I wanted to be alone… All of the sudden, the boy I was so convinced would never be there when I needed him, now seemed to be there every time I turned around… Whenever I close my eyes at night to try and sleep, and you were usually there in my dreams too when I finally did get to sleep. Suddenly, I look at you and have to wonder if maybe you weren't so bad after all, but then you'd immediately do something to make me remember the spineless wimp you always were… You get me so fucking confused! It's infuriating!"

Asuka's grip on the boy's collar tightened. She was actually chocking him a little at this point, but Shinji showed no signs of discomfort… He simply continued to stare up at her, the look on his face as neutral as Switzerland. He knew Asuka wasn't done, and his only purpose was to listen. Asuka's body as a whole began to feel weak, and mercifully her grip on his collar loosened. "I wish I never met you… In the same breath though, I'm afraid to think of where I might be right now if I hadn't… Probably back in Germany laying in some gutter somewhere after losing my usefulness to NERV…I'm not even really sure why I think that way, or why it's become so damn hard to imagine my life without you in it. At the very least, you've always given me something to strive for, whether it was trying to be a better pilot than your or just trying to get your attention."

Asuka chocked on these words as those and the next would be some of the hardest she'd have to say. Her body continued to weaken to a point where she could barely hold herself over top of him. She was forced to release his collar, allowing her arms to fall to the ground beside Shinji's head. "I'm pathetic… Why would someone like me be so concerned over the opinion of a twerp like you?…" Asuka laughed. "There was a time I really did believe most of the nasty things I said about you, and my pride would just never allow me to admit I was wrong about you, not even a little bit…. I used to be so certain of what I wanted out of life before I met you Shinji, but now I can't see the point to any of my potential accomplishments if I don't have you… I have to try though, because I know anything more than what we have together now just isn't going to be possible. I'm too damn pigheaded to tell you myself, and you're just not strong enough to initiate things yourself… Now that damn Aeri's in the picture, and all I can do is fucking watch as you slip away from me for good…"

What remained of the German girl's strength evaporated, and she fell limp atop the boy she'd been straddling. What little strength she did have left she devoted to keeping herself from crying, though with only partial success. Shinji did something unexpected… He reached his arms around her back and pulled her closer to him if that was at all possible. Asuka's first instinct was to rip away from him and start punching and screaming, but her secondary instincts couldn't find the point in bothering. She was still, however, curious over the action. "What are you doing?"

"I'm holding you as you would've liked Shinji to hold you in a similar situation… As unlikely to admit to that as you are."

Asuka might've blushed if she hadn't already lost all sense that any of this might be real. "What's you deal?... I thought you said you were only here to listen, not to feel me up like some perv…"

"I don't know…" the faux Shinji answered honestly. "Something compelled me to comfort you and I couldn't bring myself to resist… This may be your dream, but I'm still in essence a projection of Shinji… I have to say that I find your lament of your feelings puzzling. It almost sounded like you were saying you hated me because you can't completely hate me…"

"What's so confusing about that?… Makes perfect sense to me." Asuka sat up, still straddling the boy. Her face was void of emotion as she looked down at him. "You were never what I wanted… Well, at least what I devised I wanted in my head, but my heart decided it didn't care what I thought… It keeps pulling me towards you while the rest of me is desperately trying to run in the other direction…"

"Any chance you'll stop running someday?"

"Maybe if you'd done a little chasing, I could've stopped running a long time ago," Asuka countered as she stood up. "This is pointless…"

"Why makes you say that?" He sounded almost defensive as he sat up.

"I understand what these dreams were trying to do with Misato and Hikari, those made sense… This though, it's not going to change anything with me and Shinji. This isn't some cheesy made for TV movie where I'm going to wake up in the morning and everything is suddenly going to fall into place. More than likely, I won't even be able to look Shinji in the eye come morning, he'll get concerned about it, and I'll just wind up getting pissed off about that… In the end, we'll just end up worse off than we were before… That's just the way it works in our world…"

"True, tomorrow morning may not be the best time for you take that next step…" Shinji said and he stood up to stand next to her. "What about the day after that, once the shock wears off? You're finally admitting to yourself that these feelings are there… That's more than you would've done for yourself a mere few weeks ago… I'm not promising it's going to happen overnight, but I can promise you that what you desire isn't as far out of your grasp as you might think…"

"What makes you such an expert on what I desire? For all you know, my desire could be for these feelings to go away so I can go back to being completely independent! I like not having to count on anyone else for anything…"

"I know what your heart tells me it desires, and solitude is not among them… It saddens me that you view caring for people or accepting the help of others as weaknesses."

"Sorry, but that's exactly what they are," Asuka responded almost in monotone. "I've spent my entire life fending for myself, able to rely on no one but myself… Accepting the help of others or giving in to the need for companionship would be like saying everything I've achieved up until this point in my life meant nothing…"

"That doesn't even make sense Asuka," said Faux Shinji. "You seem to be confusing accomplishing all those things alone with having accomplished them because you were alone… Maybe you should look at things this way. I have no doubt that you'd be perfectly fine on your own, never having to rely on anyone… But just because you would be fine on you own, doesn't mean you have to be or even want to be by yourself. If you want to be with Shinji, then be with him… Not because you need to be, but because you want to be…"

Asuka's eyes widened briefly, before narrowing back into the beaten and emotionally neutral position. "This just proves you can't really be Shinji… He doesn't have the mental faculties to be so cryptic… Or even half way make sense… "

Shinji smiled towards Asuka sympathetically as she stared back at him with those empty tired eyes. The part of him that knew Asuka intimately, seeing as Asuka's subconscious had help manifest him, knew those eyes belonged to an exhausted young women. One who had grown tired of jumping through the hoops she herself had placed in order to live up to the ridiculous standards she had set for herself.

"So…" Asuka began to speak as the silence began to grate on her. "Are we done, or is there anymore pseudo psychology crap you want to throw in my direction?"

"Not from me… But there is one last door you have to walk through before this test is over…" Shinji motioned with his head towards a door that seemed to have magically appeared in the middle of the living room. Asuka had no idea what was on the other side, but the creepy and foreboding factor was still cranked up to almost immeasurable levels. Enough so to even shake Asuka Langley's steel will. "Before this journey can end, you have to face her…"

Asuka didn't need a name to know who this 'her' was that Shinji was referring to… She'd already had a sinking suspicion, no confirmed, and she found herself slowly going numb to the prospect. "I can't… I can't face her, not after everything I've already been through tonight…"

"I'm afraid you have little choice… Like it or not, she's had the most impact upon your life, more so than any of the rest of us. All your accomplishments, everything that makes up you both positive and negative, have been directly influenced by her… Or at least by your perception of her. Until you're able to face her memory without bowing in submission to her… Well, I doubt you need me to explain this part to you…"

"Fantastic… Just fantastic!..." Asuka sighed, and then turned her attention from Shinji to the foreboding door which had now seemed to have gotten closer. For one reason or another, her initial trepidation was gone… The thought of what she'd have to face behind that door still terrified her, but determination was now overriding fear. Asuka chalked it up to not wanting to look like a coward in front of Shinji, even a fake one her dreams had made up. Stiffly, she walked up to the looming wood frame, and without taking the time to think about it, opened the door and walked through. The door closed behind her, and disappeared leaving her trapped in that pitch black room. Asuka failed to notice any of this as her eyes were fixated on the pair of feet dangling just inches in front her face. The sound of the rope swinging from the ceiling above was near deafening. The German girl's eyes scanned up the pair of legs, past a noticeably female body, and finally rested on a face that was quite reminiscent of the young girl at her feet, though a few years older. She almost seemed to smile, her head cocked slightly to the left, the rope looped so expertly around her neck. Hanging next to the women was small child's plaything, a doll… Asuka's knees buckled at the way the woman's eyes locked onto hers and began to stare, and eerily they both had very similar expressions on their face. Emotionless, colorless…. Lifeless.

"Hello mother…"

End Chapter 10-

 _-Not sure quite why it is, but I loved ending this chapter on that line. Asuka's stroll through her dreams is near complete, but don't worry, the story itself is nowhere near done. I honestly hate the name of this work, but I had such a hard coming up with a decent title to sum up the story, I settled for what I could get. Anyway, next chapter Asuka will have a heart-to-heart with her biggest demon, and deal with the immediate aftermath of her unconventional form of self-therapy. It's my favorite chapter yet. Thanks for reading!_


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Asuka stared down the corpse of her mother, and for a moment that comprised of essentially a small blip in time, it felt like ages for the red-head. She could honestly claim that she no longer feared facing her mother's image, however the levity of revisiting your own mother's suicide was making it hard to do anything but stare. At least at first… Uncertainty eventually evolved into sadness, whick morphed into anger, which would eventually regress into hopelessness.

It was at this point that the conversation was stirred up from an unlikely source. A faint flicker flashed in the eyes of Asuka's mother… Then she began to speak. "What's the matter dear?... You have nothing of substance to say to your own mother?"

"How…" If Asuka hadn't been dreaming, she may have passed out. "How are you speaking?!"

"Are you seriously asking me that question? Have you forgotten you're in a dream, where reality has no meaning? Please tell me I didn't raise a simpleton."

"You didn't raise me at all!" Asuka shrieked, her shock engulfed by anger. "I was four when you killed yourself remember?! I was the one that found you! The one you abandoned!"

"Abandoned you? Oh please, don't shed a tear for the poor woman driven to kill herself, for after all, everything is always about you."

"I'm your daughter! It was supposed to be all about me! But I was never good enough was I?! You replaced me with a damn doll, and you didn't even love me enough for me to be a reason for you to go on living…"

"Oh, of course. Spoken like a true narcissist, my daughter. I killed myself because of you. Not because I went insane after the incident with Unit 2, lost control over most of my mental faculties, and my grip on reality... My suicide had nothing to do with losing my mind and everything to do with me not loving you enough… Please, by all means continue to vilify me as a mother if that helps you sleep better at night."

"I haven't had a good night's sleep in twelve years! Every night when I fall asleep, this is what I see…" Asuka waved her arms toward her mother and her stitched together daughter. "You and that damn doll… The one you replaced me with… You have no right to condescend to me here mother, you can't deny this truth! You gave your love to an inanimate children's toy and shunned your own flesh and blood daughter!"

"Oh no, did I do that? Hmm… Sounds an awful lot like something an insane person would do…" Asuka's mother nearly cooed, proving she could condescend to her girl whenever she damn well felt like it.

"You left me alone… Father didn't care, so I had no one after you died…. I've been alone ever since… Because I vowed I'd never let anyone get close enough to hurt me the way you hurt me…"

"You poor sweet precious girl! I can't even fathom how much you must despise me… Leaving you all alone, with no one to pat you on the head and tell you how special you are… Even as a child, you just couldn't stand it if you weren't the center of everyone's universe could you? I couldn't imagine a worse fate for you than to spend your life alone and full of nothing but spite."

"Mama," Asuka whimpered like a child… Well, being scolded by her mother. Her last few words really bit, producing nothing but silence and fresh tears. It took all of Asuka's strength not to drop to her knees and begin sobbing uncontrollably.

"She's not alone though…" The voice did not belong to Asuka, and the sound of it nearly caused Asuka to lose her head as she turned it to make sure her ears weren't hearing things. "Whether she likes it or not, she's never alone… Not anymore anyhow."

"Shinji?" Asuka's voice was small, again almost sounding like a child. She watched in awe as he walked up stopping a step or two behind her. "What are you doing here? How did you even…"

"I'm here to support you." Shinji's smile nearly melted her, and she was still far too stunned to get angry when he put his hand on her shoulder. "As awful and personal as this memory is, I couldn't bear the thought of letting you face it alone… You've been facing your demons by yourself for long enough as it is."

"But… Why now? You've never had my back when I really need you…"

"Have you ever stopped to think that maybe that's because you never let me? I know as well as you do what it's like to feel abandoned and alone… That's why I was always too weak to force myself to be there for you when you needed to be close to someone, but refused to show it… That doesn't mean the willingness wasn't there though… If I had any inkling you wanted me there, there would be no obstacle I wouldn't have rammed through to be at your side."

"Shinji…" Asuka felt her heart sink, at a loss again. She almost forgot the hanging elephant in the center of the room.

"How adorable…" said elephant interrupted. "It appears you have made a friend daughter… One gullible enough to believe you're actually capable of caring about another human being? Boy, you are aware that she only views her so-called friends as tools and stepping stones to achieve her own goals? She's incapable of viewing other human beings as anything more than things for her to use then dispose of when she sees fit… That's all you are boy, a tool to her…"

Shinji did not respond, he didn't feel it was his place too. This was Asuka's moment, and the red-head was becoming weary of keeping her mouth shut… "No he's not…"

"What was that dear?" her mother asked, unable to hear Asuka's hushed tone.

"I said he's not just a tool! Don't you talk about him that way!" Asuka stomped towards her mother, which seemed to catch the dead woman off guard. "For your information, the reason I haven't been able to have healthy relationships with people… The reason I shut the rest of the world out, the reason I've been so obsessed with overachieving at everything I do… It's all because of you! Because of this moment in my life… Everything I've achieved, everything I've failed at…. The person I am today, I can trace it all back to that day I found your corpse after you'd hung yourself…"

"I see… I do make quite the convenient scapegoat don't I? Being dead and all…"

"I don't blame you for the way I am…" Asuka interrupted, refusing to give in to her mother's prodding. Well, not quite her mother… This was her vision of her mother, or at least how she feared her mother viewed her. "I don't even hate you for killing yourself… Not anymore. It is what it is though... I can't allow you, this image of you, to control my life any more than it already has… I'm tired of being strong-willed and independent if that means I have to spend my life alone… I want to be able to love somebody without feeling like I'm betraying myself somehow! You will not define who am I anymore, I won't allow you to haunt my life! I will not allow you to destroy me to the point I wind up hanging myself from the ceiling! You do not dictate my life anymore! Do you understand me?!"

Her mother did not reply, and merely smiled at her. "Damn it, do you understand me?! Say something, damn you!"

Again, Mrs. Soryu only smirked in response.

"Say something?! Damn it, SAY IT, SAY IT, SAY IT, SAY IT, DAMN YOU, SAY IT!"

* * *

"AH!" Shinji awoke with a start as Asuka's screams ripped through the apartment. In truth, they were likely heard several buildings over. For one scream, Shinji probably would've passed off her outburst as one of her seemingly endless nightmares, rolled over and gone back to sleep. It was the persistence of this particular cry and the hysterical ramblings that accompanied it that caused Shinji to jump out of his bed and race into Asuka's room. He found the German girl sitting upright in bed twitching and turning violently as she ranted what sounded like nonsense.

"Asuka calm down! It's just a dream…" Shinji knelt down next to her bedside. As soon as his hand touched her shoulder, her gyrating became more frantic, and Shinji wisely pulled away.

Shinji wasn't the only roommate of Asuka's drawn to her room by her crazed outburst. Misato stood in the doorway with her arms spread out. "What the hell is going on in here… Shinji?"

It was a two part question really… One, what was Shinji doing in Asuka's room, and two, maybe he had some idea as to why Asuka's bedroom currently looked like a scene out of the Exorcist. His response would only satisfy the first half of the question. "I have no idea… I woke up to her screaming, and found her like this."

At this moment, Asuka seemed to realize she was now awake… And there were people in her bedroom staring at her with worried expressions on their faces. Immediately feeling self-conscious, Asuka went into self-preservation mode. "Why are you two in my room? What the hell is going on?!"

"You just had a mini-psychotic episode," Misato replied, in a playful tone she hadn't really intended to use. "Did you have another bad nightmare sweet-heart?"

"Nightmare…" Asuka thought hard about her dream and what it was about… Then it came back to her, that gauntlet she had just run. Kaji, Misato, Hikari, Shinji… Her mother. The stress from it all was enough to make you sick to your stomach. "Yes a nightmare… That's all it was, so don't be fussing over me." She glared at the boy kneeling next to her bed. "Move baka, I have to use the bathroom."

"Oh, yeah… Sure thing," Shinji quickly scampered out of the red-head's way. She quickly pushed passed both her roommates, into the hall, and finally the bathroom.

"I've always known she's had issues with nightmares… But I've never seen her react to a dream like she did just now," Misato said offhandedly. Shinji assumed she was speaking to him.

"Me either… Something really bad must've happened in that dream…"

"Well, Asuka will tell us when she decides she's ready, so don't push her about okay? In fact, your probably better off not bothering her for the rest of night, so why don't you get back to bed? There's nothing else you can really do for her…"

"It doesn't matter… I'm going to stay up at least until she gets out of the bathroom… Just to make sure she doesn't need anything…"

Smiling her approval, Misato patted Shinji on the shoulder before dismissing herself back to her bedroom under the promise Shinji would wake her if Asuka showed any signs that things weren't normal with her. As it turned out, Shinji had to wait a good twenty minutes while Asuka examined herself in the bathroom mirror, picking her brain for every last detail of the dream that nearly finally drove her off the deep end. That fool in the cloak had referred to her dream as some type of test… Had she passed or failed? To Say she received nothing out of the experience would admittedly be a lie. One thing was for certain… She wasn't going to figure out the answer tonight, so she might as well go back to bed.

Asuka exited the bathroom and was caught off guard to find Shinji waiting outside the door. Logic would dictate he was probably just waiting for access to the restroom, however, Asuka rarely used logic where Shinji was concerned. This time though, she didn't perceive the worst as she knew exactly why she found him right outside that door. "I told you not to worry about me… It was just a nightmare. I'm going back to bed…"

"I don't believe you," Shinji responded stubbornly yet guarded at the same time. "Though I'm not going to bug you about it either if you don't want to talk about it… I just wanted to make sure you didn't need anything before I went back to bed…"

"No, now go back to bed," Asuka tiredly spat in annoyance, slowly trudging towards her own room.

"Are you sure? You don't need anything at all?"

Asuka's first instinct was to strike him down dead where he stood then consume his flesh. Then she remembered what the Shinji in her dream had said to her _. "Have you ever stopped to think that maybe that's because you never let me? If I had any inkling you wanted me there, there would be no obstacle I wouldn't have rammed through to be at your side."_

"Asuka?" Shinji called out her name as she remained strangely quiet. Asuka glanced over at him seeming to barely register that he was even standing there.

"Well, if you're so desperate… I could use a drink of water…"

"A glass of water? Sure, I'll go get you one." Shinji scampered off into the kitchen, perhaps a bit too eager to do Asuka's bidding. Asuka slowly slogged back into her bedroom, the gears in her head still churning as exhausted and overworked as they were.

When Shinji went in search of Asuka, he found her in her bedroom sitting upright on the edge of her bed. He handed her the glass, and was rewarded with a weak thank you that was barely audible. One drink from the glass seemed to suffice, a sip really, and she placed the glass on the end table next to her bed. Unsure of exactly what he should do next, Shinji hung around looking very much like the idiot Asuka always accused him of being, wondering if he should leave her be or make sure she didn't need anything else first. The fact that Asuka hadn't screamed at him to get out of her room yet, he considered this a good sign.

"I guess I'll let you get back to sleep now Asuka… Remember that I'm right down the hall if you need anything, even if it's just to talk… Just let me now."

"You shouldn't be doing this Shinji," Asuka said abruptly though not in her typically abrasive tone. She sounded much more subdued than normal, and on some level, it was hard for Shinji to tell if this was even Asuka that he was looking at.

"Shouldn't be doing what?"

"Fussing over me!" Asuka snapped, sounding much more like herself. "I wasn't even thirsty! You were just so insistent on doing something for poor little ole me that I threw you a bone so you wouldn't scamper off to your room like a scolded puppy!"

"Oh… Well…" Shinji wasn't sure how else to respond to that. "Why the hell shouldn't I fuss?! That dream you had obviously shook you up, so why wouldn't I worry?"

"Do you really like her?"

"Huh?" Shinji was completely caught off guard by the change of topic. After a second or two, it finally registered whom it was Asuka was speaking of. "Oh, you mean Aeri?..."

"No, I mean the Chancellor of Germany! Of course I'm talking about Aeri! Do you like her or not?!"

"Well… Yes, of course I do!"

"Do you consider her your girlfriend?"

Shinji reacted exactly as you'd expect him to. He blushed, nearly tripped over his own feet, and though he tried to speak, not two syllables that left his mouth were normally spoken together. "I'm not sure if I can say yes to that or not… We haven't been seeing each other all that long…"

"Okay, then allow me to simplify the question," Asuka grumbled, becoming annoyed. It wasn't even so much annoyance at Shinji and just anxiousness at waiting to hear his answer, if she could manage a straight one out of him. "Do you want her to be your girlfriend, or if she decided she wanted to be your girlfriend would you object?"

"No… I mean yes!... I mean, if she decides she wants to consider me her boyfriend I wouldn't have a problem with it…" Shinji answered without really thinking about his answer. For some reason he wasn't sure of, he immediately regretted it.

Oddly, Shinji's response seemed to cool Asuka's temper, as she turned her head away from him. "That there, is your reason… Why you shouldn't be tripping all over yourself to help out me… If you're serious about Aeri, then you don't need to be acting so attentive to me…"

Shinji's brow furrowed, clarifying his confusion. "That doesn't make any sense… Regardless of what you may think of me, I still consider you my friend… If something's wrong, of course I'm going to worry about you…."

"You don't have that luxury! You can't look at me the way you have tonight when there's somebody out there waiting on you! If you were my boyfriend, I would be furious if I heard you were fawning all over another woman, regardless of the reason!"

"I'm sorry…" Shinji's expression turned both stern and serious. "I just don't agree with you… Besides, Aeri is not technically my girlfriend anyway, so I'm not betraying anybody."

"The way you're talking right now, you don't sound so sure about her…" Asuka awaited some snarky comeback, as he was always so quick to defend Aeri. None was forthcoming. "How can you not be sure? She's attractive, she understands Eva, and she's stalkerishly interested in you for some reason… What's the problem then?"

"There is no problem per say…" Shinji motioned to take a seat on the bed next to Asuka. When she did not protest, he sat down. "Aeri is wonderful, I just… Sometimes when I'm with her, I feel like I'm doing something wrong… Like I'm not supposed to be with her. It really doesn't make any sense, but my mind always seems to be somewhere else when I'm alone with her…"

Asuka's curiosity perked, though she tried her best to appear disinterested. "Why do you think that is?... Is there somebody else you'd rather be with?"

Surprisingly, Shinji responded without hesitation. "There is… But she's unobtainable… To a point where the idea of ruining what I might have with Aeri over her, just sounds plain ridiculous…"

"Really now…" Asuka trailed off… Her heart began to beat a bit faster. Almost subconsciously, she found herself scooting closer towards him. "What if… This girl wasn't as unobtainable as you think she is?..."

"If I thought there was any chance at all… Then there's no obstacle I wouldn't go through to be by her side…"

Asuka's heart stopped for a hard second, prompting her to retreat back in the other direction. She turned her head way, making sure to hide her blush.

"Asuka?..." He spoke her name, fearing he'd somehow offended her. Little did he know how far to the contrary this was. "Did I say something wrong?"

"I don't want you to see her anymore," Asuka blurted out suddenly, both stunning and confusing the boy seated next to her.

"You don't want me to see who? Aeri?"

"Yes, Aeri, you dimwit! I don't want you to date her anymore… I'm sorry, but I can't give anything more than that right now… Just stop seeing her…"

Her face was on fire, and so she couldn't bring herself to look in his direction. She prayed that just this once, Shinji would read between the lines and not press her for answers she wouldn't be able to give him. Thankfully, he seemed to do just that, though it didn't hurt that Asuka had placed her hand over his to emphasize her point… And may have rendered the boy's tongue completely useless at the moment.

"I'll… See what I can do…" Shinji staggered, realizing how pitiful his answer was, but it seemed to be good enough for Asuka. She released her hold on his hand, and Shinji's major faculties went back online. "I suppose I should leave you be so you can get some rest…"

"Yeah… That would be for the best…" What Asuka really wanted was for Shinji to crawl into bed with her and hold her until she fell back asleep, but she was nowhere near ready for anything that intimate whether it be Shinji or anyone else.

"Okay, I'll see you in the morning then… Good night Asuka…."

"It's 3:00am, its already morning goober…" Asuka's insult held little mirth, and Shinji thought nothing of it. Once he'd closed the door behind him, he threw his back against the wall and exhaled deeply.

What was that about anyway? That's what he thought to himself. He could read between the lines, but he didn't want to jump to conclusions either… This was Asuka he was thinking of here… A girl who could literally be bluntly honest, and a minute later, she'll no longer have meant a word she'd just said. Wishing for something to be true did not make it so… Hoping it was true was probably safer. Shinji just didn't believe he could survive getting his heart stomped on again, especially by a girl that he vowed he wouldn't allow to hurt him again… Yeah, that was definitely a bang up job he did distancing himself for Asuka… Hell, they might just be closer now than they had ever been, as fucked up as that sounded. Of course that level of closeness was comparative to a pair of mating praying mantis. Was Asuka really worth getting his head bit off?

Shinji went back to bed, just not back to sleep. Of course he did wonder about how Asuka really felt about him, but mostly he just worried about her. It wasn't just because of her recent nightmare either, but her entire demeanor as of late. What could have affected her so much that she was willing to open up to him of all people? Open up for Asuka anyway, which still meant not really at all, but still a huge step forward all things considered. Asuka didn't go to sleep either, mainly because she had enough of sleep for one night. She tried half-heatedly to fight it, but her dream kept playing over and over in her head… In particular, the scenes involving Shinji. The way he was represented in her dream… Was that really the way he was on the inside, or was he merely a reflection of what Asuka wanted him to be? She had done all she was willing to do to find out… She'd planted the seed in his mind, and one she was sure would take root even in that dimwit's mind. She wouldn't be the one doing the chasing. He was going to have to chase after her. That's just the way it was supposed to work in her mind. The main difference this time? She had no intention of working so hard to resist him.

* * *

Asuka was stirred awake by a heavenly aroma infiltrating her room from the kitchen. This seemed to be becoming a common occurrence in that apartment when she awoke in the morning. Asuka searched her mind, hoping to recall what stupid thing Shinji had done the day before that he was trying to make amends for… Then she remembered her dream… And then what *she* had said to Shinji afterward. Even through the early morning brain fog, a faint crimson appeared on her cheeks.

She couldn't rush out there right away, this she knew, and so she remained in the somewhat calming comfort of her room for several minutes feigning sleep. She couldn't decide how to handle… Well, any of the insanity from the night before. Normally, she'd just barge out that door pretending like nothing had happened. She'd insult Shinji and things would go back to normal. She feared that tactic wouldn't work this time… No actually, she didn't *want* to use it this time. She didn't want to walk out there looking like a giant pink elephant either. Gradually, her grogginess, which had led her brain to decide it didn't want to deal with this kind of shit so early in the morning, decided to say 'fuck it' and go out there and see what happens. She didn't really have to do anything she surmised. She'd already done her part and it was now Shinji's time to react. If her presence made him uncomfortable because he didn't have the balls to react, then that was his damn problem.

Asuka closely resembled a member of the living dead as she staggered out of her room that morning, and somehow managed to pull the look off… At least in Shinji's line of thinking she had. Asuka wasn't aware of it, but Shinji was aware of her presence… He'd been taking frequent glances at her door, anxiously expecting her to awake at any moment. He'd decided mere moments after awaking that morning, or rather when he got bored with not sleeping and decided to get out of bed, that he was going to resist bringing up the events of last night in any great detail. People didn't change overnight, and Shinji had no delusions that Asuka had suddenly become a patient and rational person. If the subject came up on its own, then so be it… He actually felt like he'd earned some points the night before… He'd like to hang on to them for a while….

Asuka quietly took a seat at the table. With one hand resting under her chin and looking bored, she stared at the back of Shinji's head knowing full well that he was aware of her presence. She let him play his game for a minute or so, until her impatience got the better of her. "Sausage and eggs again Shinji? You wouldn't be trying to impress me would you?"

"Not at all…" Shinji smiled, electing not to act like he was surprised by her appearance. "I wanted to make something I knew you liked… You had a rough night last night, and I felt you deserved something I knew you liked… If this meal happens to impress you in the process, that's just a bonus."

"Awe, how cute Shinji… That almost wasn't cheesy."

"And that almost wasn't an insult."

Shinji had turned to face her at this point and their eyes locked. Both blushing faintly, they started to laugh.

"What in the hell?" A third groggy sounding voice entered the conversation, effectively breaking the pair out of, what a random impartial observer, might have interpreted as minor flirting. Misato Katsuragi was by no means impartial however, and was confused as holy hell as to what she was seeing. Mornings in the Katsuragi apartment usually consisted of one of her housemates cowering in fear from the other's chipper early morning mood. "What in the world has you two all giggly this early in the morning?"

Misato's sinus's cleared enough that she got a whiff of what Shinji was cooking up on the stove and quickly lost interest in whatever the hell it was that seemed so curious to her just seconds before. The stomach had much more sway over the brain during this time of the day. Suffering from morning brain as she was, this particular aroma triggered something in said brain… This smell meant something, and finally it clicked. "That smells good… Oh crap Shinji! What did you do to piss off Asuka this time?!"

"I… um…" Shinji ran out of words, and blushed instead. Asuka, who had been quiet to that point, starting laughing again forcing an embarrassed Shinji's retreat into the kitchen.

"Whatever…" Misato sighed, still feeling like the only person in the room to miss the punch line of some hilarious joke. "And you kids wonder why I drink beer breakfast."

* * *

"All five of my cards are black… That's, what did you call it?… A flush right?"

"No dummkopf, a flush isn't all one color! It's all one suit! Either diamonds, hearts, spades or clubs. You see…. You have spades and clubs," Asuka pointed to the pictures on Shinji's cards as if instructing a three year old. "If you have all the same suit and the numbers are in sequence, that's called a straight flush."

"Okay… You mean like 2, 3, 4, 5, 6… Where do the King and Queen and the J guy fit into that?"

"That card is called a Jack doofus! They're called face-cards and they continue in sequence from 10… Jack, Queen, and then the King. The Ace is the highest card in the deck, and it can be used as either a one or an eleven."

Shinji furrowed his eyebrows. "How can the Ace be two things though? Wouldn't it be easier just to have a one card, and an eleven card?"

"Of course it wouldn't! Leave it to you to question the deck of a card game that's been around for centuries!"

"It's not my fault they've had it wrong for centuries… Why is the Ace eleven anyway? Shouldn't the Jack be 11 if it's the next highest card after 10?"

"Mein Gott, I swear teaching you to play poker is like teaching a toddler how to tie their shoes, only much more difficult for some reason."

Shinji Ikari was used to being insulted by Asuka Soryu… He was accustomed to being talked down to by her, hell he was even used to her being around… He just wasn't used to her being around quite so much. In fact, if he didn't know better, he could swear Asuka was making a point of just being around wherever he was that day. If he was watching TV, she was right there on the couch with him, if he was preparing a meal she was at the table watching him, if he was on the balcony at some point, she would join him. The only place she didn't seem to follow him was the bathroom. Of course Asuka was nothing if she wasn't incredibly subtle about it, just not subtle enough for Shinji not to notice. Asuka was a hard person not to notice when she was around, as her looks and personality just wouldn't allow her to blend into the background. It was almost as if Asuka was making it a point to stay near him, though for what reason he wasn't sure. He didn't really mind anyway. Even her insults didn't have the bite they usual had… He could rather easily live with it if she were like this a least a good portion of the time.

They hadn't talked much throughout the day… Asuka would just sort of hang around looking bored as Shinji did whatever he was doing at that moment. During one of the conversations they did have, poker came up for some reason he couldn't recall. Shinji mentioned he'd never played, and that somehow led to Asuka finding a deck of cards and teaching him the basics of the card game probably most famous for getting cowboys shot. Of course, Asuka played it off like Shinji had practically begged her to teach him, and like she was graciously sacrificing her precious time to help poor hapless old Shinji. That part was normal. It was the offer in itself that was just plain weird… Asuka, as a general rule, usually tried to avoid Shinji entirely. If that didn't work, she'd just pretend that he didn't exist. Suggesting they spend time together, in close proximity, was almost creepy… Creepy in a good way though, if that thought wasn't creepy enough in itself.

A rare quiet afternoon in the Katsuragi house was shattered by the ringing of the phone. Shinji's head perked up, however, upon noticing Asuka ignore the ringing he followed suit. No reason to risk raising Asuka's ire by showing more interest in answering the phone than in her. That left the only remaining resident of the home to take the call, and she was currently in the kitchen enjoying a lite snack. She stared at the phone in dread as it rang… As Supreme Commander of NERV, full days off were few and far between… She got one every two to three weeks if that. Even rarer was one of these precious days falling on a day her two wards were off of school and had no NERV business to attend to themselves. Let's add in the fact that the kids actually seemed to be getting along… Haley's Comet visited Earth more often than all of these factors converged. It would be just her luck to have this day spoiled by a call from NERV summoning her to the Geofront to sign off on a reconfigured monthly budget because the clerical staff ran out of staples and were now handcuffed because there weren't enough funds allocated to office supplies in the first draft of the budget. This wasn't Misato being cynical either, that actually fucking happened once. It was a miracle no one was fired that day.

Finally rationalizing that she'd have Section 2 agents knocking on her door if she tried avoiding NERV calls, and that they probably wouldn't call on the landline anyhow, she sucked it up and answered the phone. Luckily, the call had nothing to do with work, as Misato heard the voice of a teenage girl on the other end.

"Um, hello… Is Shinji home?"

Misato lit up before mustering a grin that would make the Grinch proud. "Ah, you must be Aeri, it's nice to finally talk to you!"

The heads of the two kids in the sitting room perked up at the sound of the name Aeri. With her work schedule, she'd yet to meet the girl her little Shinji had been dating, though she'd heard plenty about her. "Yeah, Shinji's here… Let me call him for ya…"

Shinji braced himself, his cheeks loaded knowing Misato was going to embarrass him. She did not disappoint. "Hey Casanova, your girlfriend's on the phone! Sounds like she's been missing her Shinji!"

"Misato please…" Shinji grumbled, cheeks a fire as he sat up from the couch, completely missing Asuka's disgusted glare. Shinji took the receiver from his guardian, ignored her cat noises, and walked towards his room from some privacy.

"Hey Aeri….What's up?"

"Ah, Shinji! You are still breathing, thank goodness. I take it everything went well at NERV after Asuka yanked you out of the restaurant."

Shinji stood with the phone at his ear and was rendered speechless. With everything that had been going on with Asuka, he had literally forgotten he'd basically ditched Aeri in the middle of their date.

"Ah, I'm so sorry about that Aeri…"

"Don't be, it's not like there was anything you could do about it. I knew when we started dating that NERV was going to pull you away from time to time… The main reason I called was to tell you not to sweat it. I understand okay?"

"Thank you, but I still don't feel right about it…"

"It's okay, really it is… If you really want to make it up to me though, we could meet somewhere later today if you're free…"

"Umm…" Shinji thought about it, for all of maybe two seconds. "No, I'm sorry… I can't, I mean I'm not free today…"

"Oh… Okay." Aeri sounded more irritated than upset, but Shinji didn't pick up on this. "Another time then?"

"Yeah, another time… There is something I need to talk to you about, so we'll meet up soon… Just not today okay?"

"Okay…" Aeri didn't sound anywhere near sure. "Is something wrong Shinji? Anything you're not telling me?"

"Everything's fine… I'll talk to later Aeri… Bye…"

No sooner had he clicked the end call button on the phone, he noticed Asuka standing behind him with her arms crossed. She didn't look overly amused. "You'll meet up with her later huh? Didn't have the balls to break it off with her? Why am I not surprised?"

"It's not that…" Shinji frowned as he looked away, unable to meet her gaze. "I just don't want to be one of those guys who breaks up with a girl over the phone… She deserves better than that, so I want to do it in person…"

Asuka continued to glare, as if examining him to see if he was full of crap or not. Her expression never changed, thus never hinting at her conclusion until she finally spoke. "Hmph… That's a surprisingly manly decision for you to make, assuming you don't wuss out when the time comes to break things off with her. I'm almost impressed…"

Asuka pushed passed Shinji, towards the entrance to the balcony. She headed outside, leaving the sliding door open. Unsure if this was an invitation to join her or not, Shinji assumed it would be safer to pretend that it was and join her, than it would be to stand her up if she was expecting him to join her. His suspicions were confirmed by Asuka doing nothing at all, not even reacting when he walked out onto the balcony and stood next to her against the railing overlooking the sprawling construction zone known as Tokyo 3. Rebuilding after 3rd Impact was a project that could possibly span decades. The city was like a gigantic virtual game of Minecraft, minus the farm animals made out of blocks.

"Can I ask you a question Asuka?" Asuka grunted in response. Shinji assumed it was safe to go ahead and ask. "Why did you crash my date last night?"

"Duh, I'm pretty sure I answered this question yesterday… There was an emergency at NERV, and no one could get ahold of you…"

"I mean the real reason Asuka… Did you really think I wouldn't talk to Misato about it? There was no emergency at NERV. For whatever reason, you were determined that you were going to interfere with my date with Aeri. I'd just like to know the reason…"

Asuka was much to intelligent to fall for Shinji's ploy, or even to show any sign that she was flustered by being caught in her own lie. Shinji was trying to trick her into confessing to something she just wasn't ready to own up to just yet. "I'm not going to dignify that with a response."

"What do you mean by that?" Shinji was more confused by her demeanor… Her lack of audible or visible anger in particular.

"I'm not going to answer you, because you should already know the answer. If you're too stupid to figure it out yourself, then there's no point in me saying anything."

"I see…" Shinji turned his head so he was looking out toward the skyline of Tokyo 3… And he smiled. Asuka hadn't gotten angry, she hadn't gotten defensive or offensive over her actions. She didn't even bother trying to excuse them away… He couldn't have hoped for a more favorable response, as the only response he could've gotten that would've been better was the truth. At least, what he hoped was the truth.

"Why aren't you more upset about it?" Asuka asked suddenly, temporally derailing Shinji's good cheer.

"Upset about what?"

"I ruined your date with Aeri, and now you know that I didn't have a legitimate reason to do so… I'd assume you'd be much more upset with me, but really you don't seem to mind at all... Why is that exactly?"

Shinji continued staring off at the city, mulling over a number of potential answers… Only one felt appropriate however. "I'm not going to answer that… I *know* your smart enough to already know that answer to that."

Now it was Asuka's turn to look out into the distance… And smirk. She wasn't quite content to let Shinji get off without at least making him squirm just a little bit. She whirled around to face Shinji, catching the boy off guard. Before he realized their positions, they were practically rubbing noses. "What if you're wrong though? What if I think I know the answer, but that answer is different from what you actually think I should know?"

Asuka's face was much too close to his for Shinji to have any hope of making sense of what she'd just said, let alone concoct a logical response to it. He leaned back just a bit to give himself room to breathe, and think. "Because you've always known… And if somehow you never realized that, then you're the stupid one…"

Asuka was finally taken aback, but quickly recovered. Shinji blushed from his own words, and it only got worse as Asuka's eyes continued to drill into him as if trying to suck out his soul through his eye sockets. They seemed to get closer as she seemed to get closer, and before he knew it, her face was mere inches apart from his. Asuka continued to wait as if expecting some form of gratification for briefly making herself vulnerable in front of him, a gift she didn't grant *anyone*. It would quickly become clear that Shinji either had no clue what to do next, or was just too damn chicken too. Grumbling her disappointment, she pulled her face away from his, which immediately seemed to break him from his trance.

"Seriously baka… You're going to make me do everything aren't you?" Asuka left a confused Shinji on the balcony as she walked inside. Shinji immediately wanted to kick himself for missing out on a golden opportunity to kiss the girl who had a firm grip on his heart. It might've been worth the risk of getting tossed over that railing.

* * *

Back at her apartment, Aeri slammed the phone receiver in anger. She was livid, incensed, pissed off even. Her grand scheme was threatening to go up in smoke. Her original plan was to lure Shinji away from the apartment, then briefly separate them long enough to return to the Katsuragi home and eliminate the pesky Second Child. Not only had Shinji shot her down, now he wanted to talk… She could tell just by the tone in his voice that he was going to break up with her… Something must have happened between him and that damn Second Child, for him to so abruptly dump her when things seemed to be going so well… It was hard to win somebody's heart, so you could crush it in your hands, when that person had already given said heart to someone else.

Brimming over with rage, she descended the stairs to her basement lair, intending to take out her frustration on her prisoner. Not that she would reveal to him that her plans were starting to unravel, but she wasn't a stranger to getting creative. She was in for a shock when she reached the bottom of the stairs however… Her prisoner, Tabris was nowhere in sight. She raced over to her makeshift dungeon only to find a piece of paper taped to the wall. It was a note addressed to her from Tabris.

 _Dear Sister;_

 _Please forgive me for my abrupt departure, but I'm afraid I can no longer play the part of your prisoner. This shouldn't come as too big a shock to you as you should know your abilities were never strong enough to overcome mine. I kept the façade of your unwilling captive in order to keep an eye on you and make sure your plans didn't get out of hand… However, when you threatened the life of the Second Child, I could no longer stand back and merely observe… You knew how much that would hurt him, and of course you are aware that I would never allow that to happen. No further aggression against either will be tolerated… I plead with you sister one last time… Please give up on this pointless quest for vengeance and come home… All will be forgiven… If you refuse and attempt to follow through with your plans… Then I dread to even fathom what the consequences might be…_

 _Sincerely;_

 _You're Loving Brother_

 _Tabris_

Aeri's response was to crumple the note into a ball and hurl it against the wall of the boy's former cell. "Give up on my plans… Damn you Tabris, as if I'd ever give up! You're the one that needs to crawl home and beg for forgiveness… I'll earn my place among father, mother, and our sibling's… I'll do it by destroying the fiend who prevented us from purging the world of this disease known as humanity!"

* * *

Four-year-old Asuka ran through the halls towards her mother's lab to give her the fantastic news. That she had been selected to take part in the Evangelion program to become a pilot. Perhaps now she could win back the love of her mother from that damn doll… Of course, the girl knew this wasn't possible… Because her mother was dead, and she knew full well what she was going to find when she finally reached her mother's lab… Still, her little legs refused to stop moving forward. This was simply the process she went through when the nightmare came. Only this time, something was different. She wasn't the scared broken little girl that usually starred in this dream… This girl seemed awfully defiant, very closely resembling her older self.

When Asuka finally reached her mother, the scene was the same as it had been every other night. The décor in the lab all but disappeared leaving little more than a dark void surrounding the corpse of Asuka's mother as she dangled from the ceiling, her adoptive daughter swinging next to her. Little Asuka did not cry, nor did she cower. Though the sadness was still visible in her face, she fought through it… She fought through everything. She was so over never getting a good night sleep. She wanted the chance to dream like a normal person.

"I already told you… You're not going to control my life anymore… You can show up every damn night if you want, but you're not going to win damn it! You might as well just leave me alone! Do you hear me damn it, leave me alone, leave me alone, leave me alone!"

"Leave me alone!" Asuka shrieked as she sat up in her bed, sweating lightly. While shaken, she felt almost good compared to some of the other mornings she'd awakened after a similar experience. What Asuka couldn't have realized was that she rambled in her sleep a lot and occasionally screamed, and these screams did not always go unheard. Asuka was made aware of this by a gentle knock at her door. "Hey Asuka! Are you okay in there? I thought I heard you screaming."

"I'm fine, just go way idiot!" Asuka snapped. She waited a moment and though she heard nothing immediate in response, she had a feeling Shinji hadn't moved an inch. This was quickly becoming a new bad habit for him.

"You know I can't do that Asuka…"

"Fine," Asuka submitted rather easily. She'd never admit it, but she really wouldn't mind the company at the moment.

Shinji entered the darkened room, which was lit just well enough that he could make out the silhouette of the girl sitting upright in her bed. That light also helped him walk up to the bed without tripping and breaking his face. Asuka's features became clearer as he neared the bed, and thankfully she didn't appear nearly as overwhelmed as she had the night before. "Another bad dream I take it… How are you feeling?"

"Fine for the most part… My head is throbbing though…"

"Would you like me to get you some aspirin?"

"No, aspirin tares my stomach up… If we have any Tylenol though, that would be great…"

"I'll go look… I'll be back in a minute or two, I promise…"

Shinji was true to his word, returning to Asuka's room with the requested medication and a glass of water in his hand. Asuka briefly questioned why there were three pills in her hand when Shinji placed them there, but her brain was just too exhausted to care. She downed the medicine and half the glass of water, giving the rest to Shinji to dispose of.

"So… Do you want to talk about it?" Shinji asked hesitantly. "About your dream I mean."

"There's nothing to talk about… Just the same old same old with my mother… Only…" Asuka paused, unsure if it was even possible to put into words what she felt during her dream. "I felt like I was more in control of my dream rather than the dream being in control of me, if that makes any sense."

"It makes perfect sense to me… You've taken charge of every other aspect of your life… It was only natural that you'd wind up the boss in your dreams at some point…"

Asuka glanced up at him briefly causing Shinji to worry his layman attempt at humor had offended her. Instead she grinned weakly, and put that fear to rest. Shinji hadn't done so purposely, yet somehow his arm ended up near the small of the red-head's back. He panicked momentarily, however the presence of his appendage did not seem to bother Asuka. Instead, she leaned into him, resting her head on his shoulder. Shinji stiffened, remaining perfectly still so not to ruin the moment, or his chances of surviving the night in case she didn't realize what she was doing. After several minutes, Asuka felt her eyes get heavy as sleep was ready to reclaim her. She rolled her head off of Shinji's shoulder, and again they found their faces mere inches apart. The same feeling from earlier in the day swirled deep within both of them. Asuka was groggy enough almost to have forgotten about her promise to herself, and just seal the deal herself. She resisted at the last moment though, and Shinji… Well, he just couldn't bring himself to go through with it… What type of guy would he be if he took advantage of her at a time like this? With a smile, he stood up from the bed, slightly surprising Asuka but otherwise she didn't show any additional emotion.

"It's late… And if you're determined to outscore me on tomorrow's sync test, you better get some sleep…"

"Yeah…" She murmured, nearly passed out as it was. She must've been sleepier than she thought.

"I'll see you in the morning… Good night Asuka…"

Shinji didn't get a response… She was already fast asleep. This was good, he thought… Perhaps his plan wasn't quite doomed to failure just yet. He returned to his bedroom, though he himself would have trouble achieving sleep as he stressed over the intricate details of his plans for the next day. Thoughts of tomorrow may have completely consumed him if not for one unexpected occurrence. He didn't even hear the door to his room open at first, as it took a moment for the sound to register. When it finally did, his concern over that sound was replaced by the sound of something roughly plopping down on his futon. Tension mounting, he slowly turned and was immediately attacked by a battalion of red hair. Before he could inquire of Asuka why she was in his room, she answered preemptively by starting to snore, clearly asleep.

"Sleep walking again…" Shinji muttered. This wasn't the first time Asuka had wandered into his room in a sleep induced daze. Cautiously, he turned his back to her, and scooted as close to the edge of his futon as he could get. Great, now he really wasn't going to get any sleep tonight.

End of Chapter 11


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Shinji did manage to sneak in a couple hours of sleep before being stirred awake by the rising sun. He glanced over at his alarm clock, and was thankful to see he still had several hours to work with before he needed to be at NERV for the sync test. Plenty of time to put this plan into motion. He remembered that he wasn't alone in his bed… It was hard to forget considering, that at some point during the night, Asuka's arm had wound up around Shinji's waist and her forehead now rested between his shoulder blades. Gently, he escaped her embrace and double checked to make sure she was good and asleep. He sighed in relief, confident that she would be out for quite a while. When he'd given Asuka the pills the night before, only one of them had been a pain killer… The other two were sleeping pills, the very same pills that Shinji remembered had knocked Asuka out for a good part of the day just days before. Asuka had been too out of it to notice the pills she'd been given weren't the same. Luck really seemed to be on his side, at least for the moment.

Shinji hastily got dressed and rushed to the kitchen. It was there on the fridge he found the note he was hoping he'd find. It was from Misato, informing her two wards that she had already left for the Geofront that morning, and that a car from Section 2 would be there to pick them up around 10:00am. More than enough time to enact this plan… He got to work moving the couch… And the coffee table, then the dining table. Basically every piece of furniture in the house not nailed down found its way in front of Shinji's bedroom door. A barricade of furniture effectively entombed anyone unfortunate enough to be stuck behind that door. Shinji hadn't planned on barricading his own room, but since that's where Asuka had spent the night… Now, if Asuka awoke anytime soon, there was little chance for her to get through the sea of furniture and household appliances. Nothing short of Section 2 busting through the front door and removing all the furniture from in front of that door was going to allow Asuka to make that mornings test. Confident Asuka was now safe, he patiently waited for his ride to arrive. He'd just tell the agents that Asuka was ill and would be staying at home to rest. Section 2 likely wouldn't even flinch at that story. Gone where the days of Gendo Ikari expecting his pilots to be dragged into work if necessary, regardless of what bear mauled them or which truck plowed into them on the way to the Geofont. So far, everything was going according to plan.

* * *

Shinji Ikari had stared in the face of Angel's hell bent on ending humanity and survived. He stared down his own father, likely the most disgusting beast Shinji had ever encountered in his life, as said man devised the most efficient way to use his son while at the same time deciding how best to dispose of him once Shinji outlived his usefulness. Again, he survived, outlasting his father and could even carry around the minor satisfaction that he'd foiled his father's grand scheme. He even lived across the hall for Asuka Langley Soryu, having to come face to face with her every morning for nearly three years now and had lived to tell the tales. Shinji Ikari had been through hell, to Instrumentality, back to hell again, and yet he probably had never been this terrified in his entire life, as he sat in the entry plug of Unit 2. It just felt wrong being there, as if he were violating Asuka's personal space... As if he were rummaging through her personal effects or reading her diary. Asuka's relationship with her Eva was so personal, much more so than he or Rei's. Hell, it had been her life since she was four, so being inside that entry plug without her… Especially considering the underhanded tactics he took in order to put himself in this position.

Despite the guilt, he felt justified in his actions… If Kaji was right, then this was where he needed to be and had no regrets how that he'd gotten here. He had failed miserably in his attempts to get Dr. Reniot to postpone or cancel this sync test, but that was to be expected. It was an impossible task, convincing the higher ups at NERV to cancel a sync test because one of their pilots had a gut feeling… Without the backup of evidence, NERV wasn't about to halt their research. Once Misato had politely refused to postpone the test even for her beloved Shinji, he'd given up any hope on putting a stop to it. Convincing Asuka to back out willingly had failed miserably as well. With these options gone he did the next best thing… If he couldn't stop the gun from being fired, then he'd take the bullet himself. As long as Asuka was okay… Which she would be if she stayed locked in his bedroom long enough for Shinji to get through the next two hours… She'd probably hate him for the rest of his life because of this, but hey, if Kaji was right then she wouldn't have to hate him for long.

That might've been the scariest part of his ordeal… The Russian roulette aspect of Kaji's intelligence… There really was no way to tell which Evangelion had been infected until it was likely too late to do anything about it. What if the SEELE agent had targeted Unit Zero instead of Unit 2? Then Rei would be the one in danger, and trading Asuka's well-being for Rei's wasn't equatable in Shinji's mind. Sacrificing one for the other just wasn't an option. He kept a close eye on his half-sister, though not so closely that Doctor Reniot or one of the bridge bunnies would notice, or at least he hoped he was being covert enough. Thankfully, he hadn't noticed any distress coming from Rei or anything odd with Unit Zero. Shinji hoped this trend continued… If both he and Rei managed to get through this test in one piece, then that meant Unit 1 was the target. Shinji was comfortable with that. He had control over the situation that way as he wouldn't have to worry about Asuka or Rei being infected by the virus… A virus that he had no idea how it would affect him if he did become infected. This secret killer SEELE wanted to unleash upon them for one of the most ancient of reasons… Revenge.

"Is everything okay in there Shinji?" the Commander's voice spoke through the intercom. "Your vital signs and sync ratio were jumping all over the place just a moment ago. Distracted?"

"No Misato, I'm fine… Just drifted off to La-La land for a minute there. I'll try to focus harder."

"You're doing great Shinji, you just need to hang in there for another hour. We appreciate what you're doing for us, sync testing two EVA's back-to-back. That can't be easy, especially in an unfamiliar EVA. I'm sure Asuka would appreciate you covering for her too."

Shinji scoffed at this. "More likely she'll try to disembowel me for violating her precious Unit 2. I do not look forward to telling her I took her sync test for her."

"Give her some credit Shinji. She may not be happy about it, and certainly won't pretend to be, but she understands NERV procedure… Even if she does complain about them excessively…"

Whatever Shinji's response might've been would have to wait, as the entire section went dark and then glowed red as warning sirens began to blare. "What's going on?! Is something wrong with one of the EVA's?!"

"We're not sure yet commander!" Aboa responded, hurriedly absorbing in all the information on his screen in order to give Misato the answers she was seeking. "There seems to be something off with the bio-specs of Unit 2…"

"But Unit 2 has been functioning just fine all morning! Why is there suddenly a problem now?!"

"Not sure Commander… We're analyzing the data now but… These readings aren't making a lick of sense!"

"Make them make sense!" Misato turned her attention to the pilot of the affected EVA. "Shinji, are you okay in there?! Are you experiencing any issues with Unit 2? Anything unusual at all?"

"No, everything is perfectly fine," Shinji replied to Misato's relief, the boy sounding utterly confused as to why the bridge was lighting up as if someone was trying to steal a car. A sudden but horrifying prospect popped into his head. "Are Rei and Unit Zero okay?"

"We are fine," Rei's voice coolly replied through the open channel, responding as if she were speaking for both her and EVA. "I've experienced no abnormalities with Unit Zero. If Unit 2 is also unaffected then why have the warning sirens activated?"

"We're still trying to figure that out guys," Misato responded. "We're getting some odd readings from Unit 2 that we're still trying to make sense of. With any luck, it's nothing, and our security system is just over reacting."

Oh how Shinji would've loved for Misato to be right… Maybe she was, but Shinji had a sinking suspicion his guardian was wrong. And damn was she ever… Shinji had no clue, but the fingers of the red behemoth's left hand began to wiggle slowly before balling into a fist. Then its arm began to shake slightly, and finally Shinji sensed something wasn't quite right. That's when all hell broke loose. The monster's eyes flashing green, it lunged forward nearly ripping free of its restraints on the first try, releasing a primal scream that was equally devastating to its mouth guard. Shinji desperately pulled back on the controls as if he were trying to reign in a horse. It became apparent almost immediately that he had no control over the Red-Monster.

"Shinji! Are you okay in there?! Are you doing this?!" Misato's frantic voice came in over the communications channel.

"Of course not! I have nothing to do with any of this! The Eva's moving on its own!"

"I was afraid of that, damn it… Alright eject the entry plug to Unit 2 immediately, and Zero as well just to be on the safe side!... What? What do you mean the manual controls aren't responding?!"

As if part of a bad movie plot, the communications channel went dead leaving Shinji in complete silence… Unless you counted the swooshing of LCL, and the sounds of the temper tantrum Unit 2 was in the middle of throwing. "Damn it, it's happening! The virus has infected Unit 2, and now she's going berserk! Oh god this is it… I'm really going to die in here, and there's no coming back this time!"

Beyond the scope of Shinji's vision, an invisible substance was sneaking into the entry plug from the nozzles that normally filled the plug with LCL. The substance may have been invisible, but it wasn't odorless by any stretch of the imagination. A putrid stench filled the chamber, easily overpowering the typically unpleasant stench of LCL. So rancid was the smell, that it forced Shinji to cover his mouth and nose in order to keep the ghastly aroma from vandalizing his senses. He would have to breathe eventually, and once he did, it proved to be the worst thing he could've done. That deep breath seemed to suck more air out of him than it pulled in. His chest tightened signaling another gasp of air, but precious oxygen again seemed to elude him. Feeling as if he couldn't breathe, panic set in, as his heart rate accelerated threatening to blitzkrieg through his ribs and escape through his chest. The LCL seemed to thicken and concentrate around Shinji threatening to crush him. Despite being submerged in liquid, Shinji could've sworn he was sweating profusely. Shinji move to escape an invisible enemy that he wasn't positive even existed, but his body failed him. It refused to respond to his will, as if he no longer had control over himself… He couldn't speak, he could sparsely think straight, his vision was beginning to blur, and he was convinced he was suffocating… Was this what death felt like? Or was this what if felt like to lose one's mind?

Back on the bridge, the techs finally got the communication channeled to Unit 2 up and running again, just in time to hear the panicked scream of its pilot. The sound chilled the bones of everyone in earshot, as if death itself was speaking to them. Just as suddenly, the channel fell silent as Shinji Ikari's world descended into darkness.

* * *

Shinji Ikari awoke to an unfamiliar ceiling… No wait, that wasn't a ceiling. What the hell was that? Shinji examined his surroundings, finding a cylindrical white expanse that seemed to stretch on forever. Oddly enough, Shinji seemed to still be seated at the controls of Unit 2's entry plug, but on closer inspection, realized he was sitting in mid-air. Stranger still, this didn't seem to rattle Shinji as he simply stood up. Perhaps it was his experience as an Eva Pilot that numbed him to dealing with the bizarro world crap that came along with the job. Then again, maybe he was just distracted by the figure standing just a few feet in front of him.

The figure was half a foot taller than he was, and featured a flowing mane of fiery red hair that ended at the back of the figure's knees. The figure wore a red sunhat, and a yellow dress that was strikingly similar to one Shinji had admired seeing another red-head wear on many occasions. Shinji continued to stand there dumbfounded for half a minute before working up the courage to take a step forward. "Um… Excuse me…"

The figure turned her head slowly, revealing a frighteningly familiar face, so much so that Shinji took a step back. The face was older, more mature and weathered, but it was the same face none the less.

"Asuka…" he said without really meaning too, and blushed at the flub. The woman smiled softly at this, and turned her back to him. Shinji stood there looking stupid for another moment or so before he worked up the nerve to correct his mistake. "I'm sorry… You can't be Asuka can you?"

Shinji couldn't see the women smirk through the back of her head. "Not at all… I'll tell you what though. I'll give you one more chance to guess my name correctly."

Shinji didn't have to think the answer over, but hesitated anyway just long enough to compose himself. "You're… Asuka's Mom… Mrs. Soryu…"

This time, the figure turned her head slightly revealing the same wry smirk on her face. Shinji quickly found himself staring at the back of her head again, waiting anxiously as she hesitated briefly just as he had. "Wrong!" Shinji took a step back, stunned and embarrassed by the response. The woman quickly elaborated. "If you wish to address me properly, then you must refer to me as Dr. Soryu!"

Dr. Soryu's voice was confident, laced with a hint of arrogance. The combination was so familiar that it brought a smile to Shinji's face. "I'm sorry Dr. Soryu…" Shinji took a second look at his surroundings. "Have I been absorbed by Unit 2?"

The Doctor smirked again, and again delayed her response. "I can see my daughter over estimates your stupidity… Yes, you are inside the inner-core of Unit 2, well at least your subconscious is, but no, you haven't been completely absorbed. Your body and soul are still in the entry plug clinging to life."

"How is that even possible?!"

"What kind of question is that? After all you've seen, after surviving Instrumentally… One would think there would be rather little you could encounter that would surprise you anymore." Dr. Soryu could tell by Shinji's silence that he had not lost this ability despite his experience. She could only imagine the flabbergasted look on his face. "If you must know, it was I who separated your mind from your body for it was in the most immediate danger. The virus that has infected this Evangelion appears to corrupt LCL, and in the process devours all oxygen from the substance. That's why you felt as if you couldn't breathe just before you passed out, because you couldn't. I pulled your conscious mind out of there before the lack of oxygen destroyed it, thereby causing your death."

"Well, thank you… Wait, so you know about the virus?!"

"Of course I'm aware of it," she said with a small frown, as if this were the most obvious thing in the world. "This unit has been my sanctuary for over a decade. Nothing invades the sanctity of my home without my knowledge… Speaking of invaders, why are you here rather than my daughter Pilot Ikari?"

Shinji had twenty questions rattling around in his head that he would've loved to ask the doctor. He settled for the most obvious one. "You know who I am?"

"Of course… Have you forgotten about Instrumentally already? My soul briefly left this place and merged with the rest of humanity, and as I recall, you were quite the central figure during my brief stay there."

"And you came back? Why would you do that, only to be trapped within Asuka's Eva again?!"

"What can I say? The Soryu women are nothing if we're not individuals. Besides, I had no interest in remaining a part of SEELE and your father's reprehensible little science experiment. I only remained as long as I had hoping to see my daughter, but I was never able to find her… Without her, there was nothing for me there, so I came home so to speak. The solitude might overwhelm most people, but it works for me."

"Damn… I'm sorry," Shinji hung his head, suddenly racked with guilt. "That may be my fault… When I rejected Instrumentally, I sort of pulled Asuka out with me… I apologize for that…"

"Your apology is redundant, there's no need for it," Dr. Soryu replied with a genuine smile fully intended to reassure its recipient. "I wanted nothing more than for my daughter to return to Earth, as she deserved to be able to live out the rest of her life as she sees fit… God knows she hasn't gotten a fair chance to do so since my death… I only hope she can find some happiness during her second chance at life." The doctor paused as if the sentiment was getting to her. Shinji was about to ask if she was okay, but instead the doctor spoke first. "Well then, I've answered all your questions, now answer mine. Why are you here? Why are you testing Unit 2 rather than my daughter?"

Shinji paused unsure of whether or not to tell her the truth, remembering his vow to Kaji not to tell a soul. He quickly realized how stupid he was for even hesitating. He was trapped inside an EVA with a person who was essentially a ghost. Who the hell was she going to tell? The moral dilemma now nullified by common sense, he finally answered her question. "I was made aware that SEELE had placed a spy within NERV, and that this person was planning to infect one of the Eva's with some kind of virus they fashioned from angel remains... Unit 2 was the most likely target so… I wasn't able to get the sync test canceled, so I locked Asuka in my room, told Commander Misato she was sick, and volunteered to take the test for her. There was no way I was going to allow her into the entry plug knowing this might happen… So here I am."

"I see," the doctor cooed thoughtfully. "So you put yourself at great risk for the sake of my daughter?"

Shinji simply nodded his head, causing Dr. Soryu's grin to broaden. "You are aware that, if you survive, she's going to give you hell for this."

"I don't doubt it," Shinji snickered despite being completely serious.

Dr. Soryu paused, looking thoughtful as she stared out into the abyss of white. "Hmm, I suppose I have no choice. You're here in an attempt to protect my daughter, so the least I can do is return the favor."

Shinji looked utterly confused, forcing the departed doctor to struggle not to find the look on his face positively adorable. "You can do that?"

"I can try, but I make no promises. I won't be able to manifest it for long, but I'm going to use my AT field to shield your body from the virus, and more importantly, hopefully allow you to breathe at least long enough to manually eject the entry plug from the EVA. That is assuming the virus hasn't completely overwhelmed Unit 2's operating systems and rendered all manual functions useless. The virus must have this capability in some fashion, as it's obviously kept your associates back at NERV from automatically ejecting the plug when this mess started."

"Okay…" Shinji absent mindedly agreed, before picking up on a huge hole in her plan. "Wait… Even if I eject, won't the virus still be in the entry plug with me? How will ejecting from the Eva keep the virus from suffocating me?"

She simply smiled at this. "You'll just have to trust me. I am scientist, and I have a hunch regarding how this nasty little virus works. Of course, you could always stay trapped inside this red abomination while your body rots…"

"No, I trust you…" Shinji sweat-dropped as a mental image of his skeletal remains sitting in the entry plug covered in cobwebs. "How much time exactly will I have?"

"Long enough to eject the entry plug from the Eva. You should be fine as long as you don't stop for a spot of tea and a tuna sandwich on your way to the controls. It may take a few moments for you to catch your breath and get your wits about you, but otherwise waste no time, understood?"

"Understood…"

"Good, now brace yourself… Let's get you back into your body."

* * *

Shinji awoke with a start, frantically inhaling sweet, sweet oxygen. As Dr. Soryu had predicted, it took him a moment to remember where he was and what the hell was happening. He reached for the controls, but paused when he felt it… A feeling he had felt several times before within his own Eva. The feeling of another presence in the Eva with him, surrounding him really. Knowing Asuka's mother was supporting him, this was all he needed to convince himself she was not a hallucination. He bowed his head to her respectfully. "Thank you Doctor…"

By the grace of merciful God if he indeed existed, the manual order to eject the entry plug worked. Now separated from Unit 2, the soul of Asuka's mother was no longer there to protect him and the virus resumed its attack on him. Shinji quickly felt his breathing labor, and feared the worst… Only the attack from the virus didn't seem as aggressive this time around, or as sustained… In fact, rather quickly, Shinji felt his breathing stabilize. As several minutes passed with no further discomfort, Shinji sat there in awe at how correct Dr. Soryu had been about this virus, and just hoped that the worst of it was over.

What Shinji didn't know was that Dr. Soryu's hunch had been spot on. When Shinji had manually entered the command for the entry plug to eject, the virus sensed the impending danger and retracted as much of itself as it could back into Unit 2 before Shinji's escape. What little it had to sever was left behind and was unable to survive long on its own. It quickly weakened and died, though not before choking just a tad more of the life out of the pilot. Now, all Shinji had to do was wait for the retrieval team to free him and wake him up from this living nightmare. Something else he wasn't aware of was that it would be a couple of hours before this would happen, until the bridge got the nearly rampaging Unit 2 under control. What better time for a lite nap?

* * *

"Damn it, let me out of here!" Asuka shrieked as she pulled and kicked at the door, desperate in her attempt to escape.

Asuka had no idea why Shinji had trapped her in his bedroom, but she did know two things. One, Shinji was so fucking dead when she got her hands on him. Second, Shinji really must've wanted her to stay put. Not only had he chained the sliding door closed, but placed no telling how much furniture in front of it to keep her trapped inside. She'd already kicked three holes into the thin material of the sliding door only to find greater resistance on the other side of those holes.

"Damn it! Did he drive a damn truck into the apartment, and park it in front of the door!" Asuka gave the battered paneling one last good kick, before temporally giving up. She plopped down on her arse, and then planted her hands beneath her chin looking very much like a pouty grade school kid. "I don't get it… Why would Shinji barricade me inside his own damn bedroom! This couldn't possibly be over that sync test…"

Asuka recalled how adamant Shinji had been that Asuka should sit out of the test. Hell, adamant might've been an understatement as Shinji had tried every which way to convince her not to participate. Of course Asuka brushed them all off, one because she didn't like being told what to do by anyone let alone by the Third Child, and secondly because Shinji couldn't offer one reasonable excuse why she shouldn't participate. The only reason he gave that made her consider it was when he reminded her of how boring and arduous these marathon sync tests could be. Of course it was less than likely those boars down at NERV where going to let her out of the test because she cried boredom, so that option was quickly ruled out.

Just what was Shinji's true motive for keeping her away from that test? She was certain about one thing, and that was that he likely never gave her anything remotely close to the true motive. Now that she'd had time to calm down and think for a minute, she was every bit as curious now to the reasons why, as she was angry with Shinji for this wrongful imprisonment. Oh, but she was still plenty pissed though, and Shinji was going to pay for this transgression dearly. She didn't feel like waiting until she was freed and got her hands around his neck before she exacted that revenge either. She was trapped in Shinji's room for the time being, so there had to be something in that room she could use to extract some measure of revenge on him. She briefly considered ripping the stuffing out of his futon, but after careful consideration decided he'd probably be more comfortable sleeping on the floor. Destroying his futon would've been like doing him a favor… That didn't mean she had to spare the rest of his room though. It sure would be a pity if the neat and tidy Shinji Ikari came home in the wee hours of the night to a trashed bedroom. Yes, that would make for a delightfully sinister retribution, and a handy outlet for her aggression. Oh, but where to start, where indeed…

Asuka looked around his room, and her face fell slightly, realizing the majority of the clutter in Shinji's room was still her unpacked boxes. She couldn't see the worth in risking ruining her things just to stick it to the baka. It was kind of funny when she thought about it. Several years had gone by, and this crap was still stacked to the ceiling in his room. At first she'd left them there primarily to satisfy her new favorite hobby, agitating the Third Child. Nowadays, she tended to forget they were even there, except on those rare occasions she braved crossing that threshold into the pervert king's room. In all honesty, as she thought about it now, the whole ordeal just seemed so… Childish.

Trashing the baka's room though, that wasn't childish at all, at least in Asuka's revenge driven state of mind. She settled for trashing anything that didn't belong to her, which sadly wasn't much. School books went flying to every corner of the room, every drab white school-shirt and equally boring pants were ripped from the closet. Drawers where yanked out of his desk, the contents spilled onto the floor. What little that rested atop his desk was removed with a sharp sweep of her arm. Her rampage did not slow until her eyes fell upon a small square object that had survived Asuka's assault on Shinji's desk. The object was all too familiar to Asuka. Shinji's precious STADT player, the very object Asuka at one point could've sworn NERV had to surgically remove from Shinji's head every time he had to step into an EVA. For some reason the idiot had left it behind, and as Asuka thought about it, she couldn't recall seeing it on Shinji's person in recent days… Weeks actually as she thought deeper, though she never really questioned him about it. No, that would've risked breaking the illusion she had created that she never paid any attention to Shinji. She guessed that maybe Shinji was trying to distance himself from a relic of his troubled past, trying to improve himself just as her subconscious was trying to do late at night as she dreamed.

Whatever his reason for leaving it behind, whether he had severed his attachment to it or not, didn't matter. Despite all their differences, even when she and Shinji literally despised one another, she still had never been vindictive enough to damage something that was so important to a person. As such, his STADT player was spared and gently placed back down on his desk. Asuka rummaged through the last drawer on the desk, though there wasn't much of note inside. Just a folded blanket and some pictures…

"What are these," she asked herself despite the obvious answer. Tucked away in that drawer were three pictures, all of her. Nothing distasteful or lewd like that pervert Kensuke sells around school. They were normal legitimate pictures taken around the apartment and one taken at the park down the road. In two of them she was smiling, flashing one of her trademark 'look at the glorious Asuka Langley Soryu poses'. Damn she was hot… In the other, she had an annoyed look on her face, glaring at someone outside of the photo. She could only assume it was Shinji, as he always had a talent for getting under her skin, better than anyone else she'd ever known.

The natures of the photos were innocent enough, so Asuka couldn't find a reason to get angry at him for having them. She felt flustered by it more than anything. Finding those pictures did accomplish one thing, they sucked all the anger and bile clear out of Asuka's system. Now just feeling frustrated and tired, she slumped against his desk obscuring her face with one hand. She felt stupid for getting so worked up over something so menial. So the boy, who claimed he no longer wanted anything to do with her, had a few pictures of her tucked away in his room, big damn deal. She should still be angry, driven to destroy every object that the boy whom imprisoned her owned. She shouldn't be sulking there pondering what Shinji keeping these photos of her meant. "This is so stupid… Why does that idiot make me feel this way! I hate, I HATE IT!"

Asuka felt something wet trickle down her left eye, causing her immediately to panic. There was no way she was going to allow herself to cry over something so insignificant, least of all something meaningless involving that particular fool. Remembering the blanket in the drawer where she'd found the pictures, she clutched at the cloth and brought it up to her eyes. She paused, distracted by the sound of two thumps, something having fallen out of the blanket and hitting the floor. She peered down and found two cassette tapes lying next to her, and both looked exactly like the tape Shinji played constantly in that STADT player of his. She wouldn't have given them a second thought if not for the fact they'd been buried away with the pictures of her, meaning he was obviously trying to hide them. What could possibly be on those tapes that Shinji felt he needed to keep them hidden?

Asuka's gaze diverted to the STADT player still resting atop the desk where Shinji had left it. She didn't know how long she was going to be stuck in his room, so what else was she going to do? Maybe there were juicy secrets hidden on those tapes she could use to extort the Third Child, vengeance for the stunt he'd pulled on her today. Hastily, she scooped up the tape player and positioned herself as comfortably as she could atop of Shinji's futon. She hesitated only a second before deciding she didn't care enough about Shinji's privacy not to satisfy her curiosity about those tapes. Feeling slightly off but ignoring the sensation, she pressed play.

"Hello Shinji… This is not a prank, nor a hoax. It really is me… Kaji." By the time he'd spoken his name, Asuka's mind had already been blown clear to hell. She listened with mixed emotions to a man she'd long thought dead. A man she admired, adored, and at one time had convinced herself she was head-over-heels in love with. The supposed death of that man had shattered the hearts of both her and Misato, only to now discover that he was out playing James Bond while they were crying over his alleged corpse. So muddled were her thoughts that she listened but didn't really hear all of what was said as Kaji drawled on about why he faked his death, and his secret war with SEELE. Only did the tape get her full attention when it became apparent Kaji was trying to recruit Shinji for something. Frustratingly, the tape ended without providing Asuka any resolutions to her newly budding suspicions. Assuming answers were likely on the second tape, she hastily inserted it inside the STADT, and soon her assumption was proved valid. Shortly after that, her mind was destroyed for a second time… Or was it the third, who was really counting anymore? She listened with wide, intent eyes as all of Shinji's actions over the past few days now made perfect sense to her. Why he was so insistent she not participate in the sync test, why all his lame excuses made no sense. Because the only excuse that made since Shinji couldn't utilize as he was sworn to secrecy. Asuka grimaced when Kaji referred to her as the Second Child rather than by her name, but swiftly brushed it off. One thing still puzzled her… What good did Shinji think barricading her in his room was going to do? They weren't going to cancel the sync test just because she was a no show. He would eventually have to free her, and they'd just make her take the test another time… Either that or have someone else perform the sync test with Unit 2…

Asuka's eyes snapped open in panicked realization. "No… You stupid, stupid idiot, please no…"

Asuka jumped up like a sprinter at the start of a marathon, rushing towards the bedroom door. She kicked at and pushed at the wall of furniture with everything she had, screaming to the full extent of her lungs hoping to catch the ear of anyone that might be nearby. She had nearly obliterated Shinji's door, managing to make the blockade pile move and shake, but not nearly enough to loosen the tightly packed wall of furniture so she could squeeze out. Frustrated and increasingly pissed off, she started banging on the walls as she shouted to the rooftops. "DAMN IT LET ME OUT OF HERE! I NEED HELP! COME ON, SOMEONE OUT THERE HAS TO HEAR ME! PLEASE GET ME OUT OF HERE!"

As luck would have it, Asuka's screams had been heard. In no time, the front door of the apartment had been kicked in, and two well-dressed men with guns drawn stormed into the Katsuragi household. They were agents from Section 2 posted to look after the apartment and its tenants. Accustomed to hearing arguing, shouting matches, and just Asuka being loud and obnoxious, the agents didn't think much of it when Asuka started raising a fuss after being locked in Shinji's room. Once she started screaming like she was in some type of peril, this was enough for them to leap into action. They followed the cries of the Second Child, only to get stunned by the sight of every sizable piece of furniture in the apartment crammed into a small hallway. It didn't require a college degree to figure out the Second Child was on the other side of that wall of wood. They redecorated as quickly as they could, and as soon as she found the smallest hint of daylight, Asuka escaped her prison.

"You idiots! I've been trapped in there for hours, where were you?!"

"We're here now Ma'am," one of the men replied looking all business and unaffected by Asuka's rage. "Are you unharmed?"

"I'm fine! I need to get to the Geofront like ten minutes ago! Can one of you overdressed gorilla's take me?"

"Follow us, we'll have someone drive you to headquarters," said the agent in the typical Section 2 all business tone. Asuka said nothing more, following after the agents to the waiting car as if her will alone was making this all happen. Hell, maybe it was.

* * *

Being the Head of the Science Division at NERV came with a lot of perks and a lot of power. At one time, when the position was held by Ritsuko Akagi, the person carrying around that title was the third most powerful person in the world's most powerful organization. That power had waned considerably since NERV's restructuring after Third Impact. With Commander Katsuragi and Sub-Commander Tanaka in charge, NERV had become a much more tightly-knit and business-like organization, as opposed to the tyrannical dictatorship of the previous regime. The doctor still had plenty of resources at her disposal though, and very few people looking over her shoulder. Her title also came with droves of responsibilities and seemingly endless work. Some of the tasks Misato dumped into her lap were just downright tedious and exasperating… Case in point, placed in charge of managing the clean-up, containment, and subsequent investigation of an Eva gone berserk. It was ironic when she thought about it. After all, she was supposed to be investigating the source of this mystery virus, all the while knowing she was the one who injected the virus into Unit 2 in the first place, forcing the raging beast to be frozen in bakelite, the removal of Unit 2 from active duty indefinitely, and the quarantine of NERV's best pilot pending further study of Angel contamination. A process that would take weeks normally, but that didn't mean she couldn't go ahead and fill out the paper work now. After all, the results of her examination had been predetermined as had the Third Child's fate. He'd either be imprisoned, placed under extensive monitoring for angel contamination or… If certain people got their way, he could even be executed as an enemy of humanity.

Dr. Reniot didn't have anything against Shinji Ikari personally… All she knew was that her bosses wanted the Eva's and their pilots neutralized. Her plan to infect Unit 2 and eliminate the Second Child had failed miserably, but in a way, that failure had led to an even greater success. With Shinji stepping up and taking Asuka's place, she was now in position to neutralize the greatest threat to SEELE and their plans. Ironically, the very boy who had aborted Instrumentality in the first place, was now at her mercy, and she'd been ordered to show none. It was almost poetic justice if you were on SEELE's side. All it would take was a few forged documents with phony test results, and the use her savvy to convince those in power that Shinji had to be treated as a potential threat. All that was left to do now was give the boy his examination. She looked almost indifferent as she signed the papers that would likely seal the fate of the Third Child.

* * *

"Alright! Where is the scrawny bastard?! Point me in the direction of the Third Child so I can ring his scrawny neck!"

"Asuka!" Maya squeaked in surprise, but otherwise tried to overlook her outburst. "Where have you been?! We thought you'd taken ill?"

"Do I look sick to you?! The Baka Wonder trapped me in his bedroom so I would miss the sync test!" Asuka pushed passed Maya towards the window where she could get a good view of the cage that housed her Eva. "Well I'm here now, and all I can say is that the idiot better not have stepped foot in my Unit 2!"

"Asuka wait! There's something you need to…" Maya didn't have time to finish. The stunned look on Asuka's face rendered whatever Maya had to say moot. Asuka stared dumbfounded into the cage, seeing her precious red behemoth frozen in bakelite. The allegedly unbreakable resin that housed the Eva was cracked in several spots suggesting an attempted escape.

"What happened?…"

"Unit 2 went Berserk Asuka… We had too encase the unit in bakelite to get her under control. Something went horribly wrong during the sync test… Something got inside of Unit 2 and acted like a virus to the Evangelion, doing considerable damage to both the unit and its pilot…"

Diverting her eyes from the Eva cage down towards the ground, her teeth and fists clenching tightly. "And who was in the entry plug of my Eva?"

Maya was obviously reluctant to respond, partially out of fear of her response, but mostly because she didn't want to have to be the one to tell her the news. "Shinji… Volunteered to sit in for the test on Unit 2 after you no showed…"

"Where is he now?" Asuka asked in a deadly serious tone that frightened the young scientist.

"He's in the medical ward, but I warn…" Maya's warning would fall on death ears as Asuka was already storming out of the cages towards, what Maya guessed, finishing the job the virus had started.

The walk to the medical wing of NERV Central wasn't a short one, which gave Asuka way too much time to think. The cocktail of anger and fear she'd been forced to ingest had settled in her gut, and it now felt as if a pair of 1950's American street gangs were rumbling in her stomach. Either that, or some form of alien parasite was going to explode out her abdomen and scamper down the hall at any moment.

Once she finally arrived in NERV's expansive medical wing, basically a small hospital housed inside the massive complex, she managed to be civil to the receptionist when she asked where Shinji had been taken. She then promptly brushed the receptionist off when she tried to inform Asuka visitation had been strictly restricted for her fellow pilot. The red-head cared not though. She'd find a way to get what she wanted… Though she wasn't sure what exactly she did want, or what she was going to do when she finally found herself at Shinji's bedside.

Asuka was sure of one thing she didn't want though, and that was to find the First Child in the waiting room of Shinji's wing, looking solemnly out the glass window which provided a view of little more than a hallway with several doors that led to various hospital rooms. Asuka wasn't sure why anything about Rei Ayanami shocked her anymore, but she was still taken aback when Rei seemed to know exactly who was in the room with her without so much as turning around to face her. Asuka knew Rei couldn't see who was coming through that door in the reflection of that window either.

"Pilot Soryu… I'm surprised that you are here…"

"Why wouldn't I be?" Asuka spat, almost literally spitting venom. "I'm here to strangle the life out of that idiot for daring to step into my Unit 2 and getting himself put in the hospital because of it!"

"You needn't bother," Rei answered without the faintest hint of a frown though you could almost hear one in her voice. "You're Evangelion beat you to that task."

Asuka wasn't sure how to respond to that. She resorted to her standby response, blame Shinji. "If the idiot hadn't tried to sync with my Unit 2, nothing bad would've happened to his stupid ass!"

"Perhaps, but then if you had bothered to show up for the scheduled tests, then my brother wouldn't be in this position at all…"

"He's the one who locked me in his room to keep me from making it to the sync test!" Asuka argued as she stepped towards Rei, the latter finally turning to face the belligerent red-head, wearing her omni-present expression of serene calmness. "And don't start with all that crap about Shinji being your brother! Being genetically engineered with his mother's DNA hardly makes the two of you siblings!"

"Shinji doesn't see it that way… And neither do I, so that's all that matters to us. Now, if you're going to continue being spiteful and negative, perhaps it is best if you just leave."

"I'm not going anywhere until I see that idiot and say what's on my mind!"

"I'm afraid that's not going to be possible," an authoritative voice came from behind Asuka's back, as the owner of that voice had entered the waiting room. Misato, in all out commander mode, looked back and forth between the girls, the movement of her eyes telling each young lady to back away from the other. "The last thing we need right now is a fight breaking out in the hospital wing! Each of you to opposite sides of the waiting room, now!"

That wasn't a tone Misato Katsuragi used often, and it immediately filled Asuka with a sense of dread that compelled her to comply with Misato's orders. She had to stay in character though as she asked for clarification. "Fine, I'll keep my distance from Wonder Girl, but why is it impossible to see Shinji?"

"Because he's quarantined indefinitely pending further medical evaluation of his condition," she stated bluntly leaving Asuka stunned and Rei listening on with seeming disinterest. She had heard this all before when they first wheeled Shinji's unconscious body to the medical ward.

"Quarantined?! Come on, isn't that going a bit overboard? You can't be serious…" Asuka said, almost scoffed really. She sounded sarcastic enough for a small vein to appear near the top of Misato's forehead as her face quivered.

"I'm extremely serious Asuka!" Misato shouted back in a tone that suggested she was condemning Asuka, which the girl guessed was for failing to show up for the scheduled test. Asuka decided not to argue or make excuses. This wasn't the time to pick a fight with the Commander. "After Unit 2 went berserk, there was a short period of time when all the vital sings coming from the entry plug bottomed out… Shinji was clinically dead for almost three minutes…"

Asuka didn't appear that concerned. He was obviously still alive after all. "That doesn't explain the quarantine…"

"Whatever infected your Evangelion Asuka… Though it acted like a virus, its wave patterns were consisted with Pattern Blue." It seemed that Misato finally hit the right button, as this information forced Asuka's eyes to snap open in shock. "Though we can't confirm it with any kind of certainty that the virus was an Angel or…"

"If the virus was engineered with Angel DNA…" Asuka said distantly, staring off at seemingly nothing in particular.

Misato was shocked at how consistent Asuka's statement was with the information they had so far gathered about this apparent Eva virus. Misato then remembered that Asuka was college educated, and so she didn't think another thing of it. "It seems impossible, but yes that's our working theory right now… We have no idea how the virus affects the human inside of the Eva at the time of infection. We don't know if Shinji's been contaminated by an Angel, if he's suffered some form of mental damage, of if he'll even be aware of himself once he finally wakes up… Until we're sure Shinji hasn't been corrupted by an Angel… Nobody's going to be allowed to see him, nor will he be able to leave the hospital."

"So you've made him your prisoner," Asuka said snidely. "Despite everything we've done through this war with the Angels, the second one of us comes too close to the enemy or become an inconvenience, you slap the shackles around our wrists and ankles and lock us away! It's great to see NERV hasn't changed all that much since Third Impact!"

"That's not even close to fair Asuka! If something like this had happened under Gendo's watch, he would've already disposed of the pilot and we would've been setting up interviews for his replacement by now! Shinji's health and safety is our primary concern, but it's still our responsibility to protect his world from threats like the Angels… We can't ignore the fact that Shinji's life sings disappeared for a considerable amount of time, and reappeared again suddenly… We have to be completely sure the Shinji we all know and love is the Shinji that was pulled out of that entry plug…"

"Whatever," Asuka snorted, as this was the closest she was able to get to a logical argument. She found a seat and plopped down into it heavily, signifying she was submitting to her guardian and commanding officer.

"Look you two… You should both head home. The examination could take days, and no one but essential personal are going to be allowed to see him until then, if even then. There's no reason for either of you to stay here…"

"I shall remain for the time being," Rei announced as she returned to her vigil at the widow. "Even if I can't see him… If feel that here is where I need to be… For now at least…"

"If that's what you want to do Rei…" Misato submitted and then looked down at Asuka noting how the red-head was trying her best not to look worried. "Come on Asuka, you don't have a choice in the matter. Why don't I drive you home?..."

Asuka heisted making Misato wonder if she even heard the question. Asuka eventually snorted and stood up. "Fine! Let's go…"

* * *

To say the ride home to the Katsuragi residence was tense would've been akin to calling Gendo Ikari an unsatisfactory father and all the more likely spoken by a person with a flair for the art of understatement. Never before could Misato remember silence being so deafening, particularly when you consider the girl riding shotgun. So thick was the tension that it forced Misato to take to the road like a semi-sane motorist.

Asuka was pissed; there was no question about that, but about what exactly Misato wasn't quite sure. She wasn't oblivious to what had been going on, but there were just too many variables to consider. Was she angry because Shinji had barricaded her in his bedroom causing her to miss the sync test? She hadn't gotten Asuka's version of the story yet, but had been filled in by her Section 2 escorts that Shinji had gone to considerable effort to ensure Asuka didn't leave the house that morning. If Section 2 hadn't intervened when they did, Asuka would probably still be trapped in Shinji's bedroom.

Was she upset that Shinji violated her precious Unit 2? That definitely sounded in-character for Asuka, even despite the dire situation her fellow pilot found himself in. Perhaps she was just worried about Shinji, and anger was just her default coping mechanism. Maybe Asuka was angry with her for placing Shinji in quarantine, an act that the German perceived as Misato putting NERV and the world above one of its pilots, and a person who, in many ways, Misato had begun to look at like her own son. Of course, Asuka's perception of Misato's actions was as ignorant as it was spontaneous. Misato had placed the quarantine on Shinji to protect him more than it was meant to protect anyone else. When the words 'pattern blue' and 'Angel' were uttered among the NERV personal after so much time had passed, it wouldn't be completely unexpected for a lynch mob or two to begin forming. Rumors would be spread, conclusions jumped too… Misato wanted to make sure Shinji got a clean bill of health, and was contamination free before the rumor mill exploded all over the Geofront. Shinji had recently begun piecing together some semblance of a normal life… He certainly didn't deserve to have co-workers he had so valiantly fought along-side, for them to suddenly start looking at him and wondering if he had now become some sort of monster looking to destroy them all.

As much as Misato hated to even consider this possibility… There was a chance the worst had happened inside that entry plug… Surely to god it hadn't, but in their line of work, there was no room to take a chance like that.

Misato glanced over to the passenger seat, its occupant still glowering out the window as if she were trying to melt every building and vehicle they passed. It was becoming obvious that Asuka had no interest or intention to initiate a conversation, which was problematic for the Commander. She had to know what Asuka knew about this incident if anything at all. She needed all the information she could get, to gather as many pieces as she could to this perplexing puzzle. "I realize you're not exactly pleased with me right now Asuka, I can handle that… Still, I have a couple of questions for you about what happened to Shinji today… I'm having trouble making sense of all this."

Asuka just grunted, and Misato took that as a sign to ask away. "Do you have any idea why Shinji barricaded you in the bedroom this morning?"

"Um, duh… Because he wanted me to miss the damn sync test! I thought that fact was established!"

"Yes it has been, but that's not what I mean exactly… Why didn't he want you to take the sync test? He did just about everything but move heaven and Earth to make sure you weren't available to take that test…. Like he knew something was going to happen…"

Asuka's answer was dead silence. She didn't dare try to talk over the lump in her throat, maybe out of fear she might choke. A part of her really did want to tell Misato what she knew… How Shinji knew about the virus, and exactly where he got that information… Especially who provided it. For some reason though, she just couldn't bring herself to blow Shinji's cover… Not yet… The stupid baka… "Maybe he had a premonition, I don't know… I gave up trying to figure out what goes on in that idiot's head a long time ago…"

"So, he never mentioned anything about a pending sabotage or attack while he was trying to convince you not to take the sync test? Nothing at all?"

"Oh no Misato, he told me everything!" Asuka replied snidely. "After all, you know how buddy-buddy and kumbaya we've been lately! He never explained shit to me, at least not an explanation that wasn't a bald face lie… Why don't you ask the doll if she knows anything? The baka's much more likely to share something like that with her than he is me…"

Misato fought back a smirk at the bitterness in Asuka's voice. "I already tried that, but Rei doesn't know any more than the rest of us… I guess that, until I get a chance to interrogate Shinji to find out what he knows, all we have to go on is hearsay and rumor…"

Misato received silence in return, and figured this was Asuka's way of saying her part in this conversation was done. "I'll figure this out Asuka, I promise… Try not to worry about him too much…"

More silence. No defensive comeback, not even so much as the bristling of the hair on the back of her neck. Just silence, as Asuka stared out of the car window, her chin resting atop the palm of her hand. Something was changing between the two kids under her care, though Misato didn't want to be too presumptuous as to what that change was. Truth be told, she wanted to solve that mystery probably more than she wanted to solve the mystery of the berserk Eva. Needless to say, what remained of the ride home passed quietly.

End of Chapter 12


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

The next several days were complete hell for everyone living within the walls of the Katsuragi household. Shinji Ikari had been subjected to every test, probe, and examination NERV could throw at him, and probably even made up a few new ones just for fun. Shinji was thoroughly convinced that he could've been abducted by aliens and they'd have gotten bored with him half way through what NERV had already put him through. The worst part of it all had to be that damn Dr. Reniot and her cold reproachful eyes… As if she had already condemned him and was now doing everything in her power to prove there was something wrong with him.

Things weren't much better for his two housemates. Misato Katsuragi was the Supreme Commander of NERV. She ate stress for breakfast, lunch, dinner, Sunday brunch, midnight snacks, and the occasional treat from the stress vending machine down the hall. Little of it fazed her, but knowing that she had the final say on Shinji's fate… Someone who had become such an important part of her life, that losing him now would be like losing and appendage. Now she was faced with a potential situation where she might have to choose between Shinji and the fate of humanity.

Asuka wasn't holding up much better, but she did a much better job of hiding it. On the inside, she was being torn apart. Just when she had decided she might consider possibly opening up a little to let someone in, then immediately afterward that person is threatened to be taken away from her for good. This garbage reminded her of why she kept her distance from people in the first place. She'd gotten to miss school the first day after the incident, which those within NERV had dubbed 'The Mess', but no such luck for the rest of that week. Misato had informed the red-head that she'd have to continue with her day-to-day activities as Shinji likely wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. Asuka shrugged her shoulders and said whatever as if it didn't really matter, as she didn't want to let on to Misato or anyone else as to how much the situation with Shinji was bothering her. She'd done a pretty good job avoiding conversations about the idiot, with the lone exception of one person… The one person she could never seem to fool. The exasperatingly kind and well-meaning class rep who was, very annoyingly, such a good friend to Asuka.

"Could you please drop it Hikari?! There's nothing bothering me, and there's nothing going on that you need to worry about!"

"Could you at least pay me the dignity of not insulting my intelligence Asuka? You could be honest and say you don't want to talk about it instead of lying about it."

"Would it make a difference whether or not I was being honest, or would you still be pestering me?!" For once, Asuka wished Hikari had insisted on eating lunch with her baboon of a boyfriend Toji. Hikari wasn't the type of friend to shy away though, espeically once she began noticing here lately that her friend didn't appear to be all there… Well, more so than usual anyway.

Hikari scrounged up her nose incredulously. Patience had always been a virtue of hers, especially where Asuka was concerned, but there were times when even saints had to fight back the urge to hurl certain parishioners through stained-glass windows. She did have one trump card to play. She didn't really want to use it, but she knew his name would rile Asuka up, and besides… Damn it, she wanted to know! She had the right to know, and Toji especially had the right to know. "I'm assuming you're going to act abrasive to this question too, but where has Shinji been lately?"

Asuka flinched, looking horrified by what you'd think would be a harmless question. If most anyone else had asked that question, it would've been harmless. Hikari knew Asuka too well though, and knew too much about NERV and both her and Shinji's schedules. Anyone else, she could've brushed the question off by saying he was sick or whatnot, and no one would've thought anything about it. Hikari though… She wasn't fooled easily. Oh well, why not try it anyway. "Shinji?... He's sick with the flu or something… He should be back in school by the beginning of next week…"

Hikari's brow furrowed at the half expected response, frowning because she knew that it was a lie… And not a good one either. Asuka was usually a pretty damn good liar. "I don't believe you."

Damn it to hell. Asuka had no idea what on Earth she could say to appease the analytical glare of the class-rep. Asuka certainly couldn't tell her the truth… Perhaps resorting to being difficult would be more effective, or rather continuing to be difficult. "Hey, I gave you an honest answer, so if you don't believe me that's your problem."

"Of course it's my problem Asuka! Shinji's been absent for three days, and since you've been back you've been acting more despondent than usual and obviously angry about something… Even Toji and Kensuke were able to rationalize that those two things were not a coincidence Asuka! Your mood has to be tied to Shinji somehow. What's happened Asuka? Where's Shinji? Toji's been worried sick and so have I!"

Asuka felt cornered, and that was never good for the person doing the cornering. Asuka bristled and gave her pig-tailed friend a generous response considering the levels of venom Asuka was known to reach. "You need to understand Hikari… With some things, it's just better if you don't know…"

"Well, that doesn't make me feel better at all…" Hikari noticed Asuka didn't get angry or defensive at this point. She seemed to stare further and further off into nothing looking despondent, as had become par of the course over the past couple of days. Hikari knew she was thinking about it, what happened to him. Her brow furrowed again, this time with more determination than ever. "Come with me Asuka…"

"What?" Hikari grabbed Asuka by the wrist and pulled her to her feet. She tried to yank her arm free as Hikari took the lead, but was unable to free herself from the Class-Rep's iron grip. Surrendering to being dragged wherever the hell Hikari had a mind to take her, she noticed they were exiting school grounds. "What are we doing Hikari? Lunch is almost over, so we'll be late to class if we don't hurry back."

"We're not going back to class," Hikari said, almost chocking on the words. As abhorrent as the thought of doing something as dastardly as playing hooky was to Hikari Hiroki… Desperate times called for desperate measures. They hadn't walked far, to a nearby park that was conveniently void of humanity prior to their arrival.

"Are you serious? Class Rep Hiroki skipping class?! Won't that ruin you perfect attendance record, and scandalize the Hiroki name forever?"

"Yes, and I'll probably give myself an extra week of clean-up duty for it, but this is more important… I had to show you how serious I was about this."

"Hikari…" Asuka's temper ebbed. She understood how hard it was for Hikari to… Well, break any kind of rule. "Can you please let this go?"

"You know I can't, and I won't," Hikari declared, as she sat down at the bench they'd stopped in front of. "Please Asuka… Tell me what happened to Shinji? Tell me he's okay?!"

Asuka couldn't answer her. Asuka herself had no idea if Shinji was going to be alright or not, and not knowing was destroying her. Hikari knew something was horribly wrong when she noticed Asuka's body tense up. Her frustration boiling, she took that frustration out on the tree next to Hikari's bench, slamming her fist into it. It hurt like hell, but punishing anything felt good enough that it was worth dealing with the pain. Hikari was beginning to fear the worst.

"Asuka, talk to me please… What happened to Shinji?"

"If I tell you, you can't repeat this to anyone! This is the type of information that can get me, you, and your entire family thrown into a NERV prison if word got out that I told you!"

"Um… Okay…" Hikari momentarily had second thoughts, but decided Asuka must be exaggerating the consequences. Surely she had to exaggerating…

"Shinji isn't sick… He's in a NERV holding cell in-between getting experimented on in order to test for possible Angel contamination."

"Wh… What!? What for?!"

"We had a synchronization test for our Eva's three days ago… Shinji was syncing with Unit 2 when something went horribly wrong… Yes Sabotage was involved… Unit 2 went berserk and was heavily damaged while Shinji nearly died in the process… His survival was on the miraculous side of things, so much so, that it led to some of the idiots in our science division to decide it was suspicious. The head of the department is all but ready to condemn him as being contaminated by…"

Hikari knew what the Angels were thanks to Instrumentally… That didn't mean she understood what they were and how they worked though. "I'm guessing that's really bad then?"

"It's like someone labeling me a Nazi because I'm German! There's literally nothing worse in our line of work. Even if he gets a clean bill of health, that stigma is going to stay with him the rest of his life, as long as he decides to remain with NERV that is."

"What… What's going to happen to Shinji if the doctors do decide he's been contaminated?"

Asuka remained quiet, scaring the hell out of Hikari. Finally, she looked back at her friend briefly before responding. "Trust me Hikari… You really don't want to know the answer to that."

"That's fine, I'll just take your word for that one…" Hikari said quickly. There was something about Asuka's story that was still bugging her though… "Wait, you said Shinji was testing Unit 2? Isn't that your unit? Why would Shinji have been testing your Eva?"

Hikari could nearly see the arrow pierce Asuka's chest. She watched and could swear she also saw every muscle in the German's body clench at once, as well as her teeth. Her hand dug into the tree she'd been leaning on, removing some of the bark. "Because stupid drugged me with sleeping pills and then barricaded me in my room so I would miss the test! Then he volunteered to take it for me!"

"Why? Why would he do that?..."

"Because the idiot had firsthand knowledge that the sabotage was taking place, and that they were targeting Unit 2… And myself… He couldn't get the test canceled, and couldn't convince me to skip the test so… So…The bastard! Always having to be the big hero!"

The tree was no longer sufficient to support Asuka, and she dropped to her knees. She covered her eyes with her hands, not wanting Hikari to witness the appalling travesty occurring behind them. "The stupid, stupid idiot! I didn't need him to protect me damn it! Now they're going to do God knows what to him! Damn him! Damn them all to hell!"

Hikari's first instinct was to run up behind Asuka and throw her arms around her, but held back… This was Asuka after all, and she likely wouldn't respond well to any blatant attempts at comfort. "He risked all that for you?..."

"I never asked him to… What can't he let me fight my own damn battles?!..."

Asuka composed herself quickly. With a deep breath, followed by the wiping dry of her eyes, she was in control again. "You can't tell anyone I told you this Hikari… Not even your stooge boyfriend!"

"I understand that but… Shinji's friends have the right to know, and I can't openly deceive Toji…"

"You're right, they probably do deserve the truth, but they can't have it right now… It's too dangerous to have this information dangling from too many lips. If you tell Toji, he could probably keep his mouth shut, but he'd at least tell Aida. Once that dork knows, half of Tokyo 3 will know before the next sunrise! For the well-being of everyone we know, please keep your mouth shut Hikari! Please…"

"I understand…" Hikari truly did, well at the least the part about the severe ramifications she could potentially suffer if the wrong people knew she had this information. "What do I tell Toji though if the worst happens? There's only so long we'll be able to tell people he's ill before our teachers and classmates start to get suspicious…"

It wasn't Asuka who would answer that question, but a voice coming from behind the trees at their backs. "Pilot Soryu is correct… It would be most beneficial for you not to say anything for the time being…"

"Wonder Girl!" Asuka fumed, as Hikari turned whiter than Rei normally was, horrified that someone else within NERV already knew she had been confided with sensitive information. Visions of herself blindfolded in front of a NERV firing squad started popping into her head. "Have you been spying on us?! How dare you!"

"I was searching for you yes, but I had little interest in your activities. I did pursue you as I saw you and Class Representitive Hiroki heading in this direction. You appeared to be in the middle of a conversation… I didn't wish to interrupt, so I waited for an appropriate moment to interject myself."

"You were looking for me?" Asuka pointed towards herself. "What in the bloody hell could you possible want with me?!"

"I've received word that Dr. Reniot is preparing to give her report to the Commander," Rei answered without batting an eyelash. She immediately won Asuka's full attention. "I plan to be present when she receives the results, and I assumed you would like to be present as well."

"Damn right I do… Fine, let's go… Sorry Hikari, but I'm afraid I'll be missing the rest of the school day."

"Wait a second here! Re…Re… Rei, you're not going to tell anyone at NERV that Asuka gave me this information are you?"

Rei looked over at the pig-tailed girl and stared as if analyzing her. "Not unless I am ordered too… And seeing as no one outside of the three of us is aware you have this information, th is highly unlikely."

"So like I said Hikari… Don't tell anyone, especially any stooges, what I told you and you'll be fine… Don't sweat it okay?"

"Patience would be advisable. It likely won't be long before the incident in question will be public knowledge, so there is no need to carry the burden of informing anyone."

Both of the other girls looked at Rei in the same way all teenage girls look at someone when they were wondering what the hell that person was talking about. Hikari didn't ask the obvious question, so Asuka decided she would. "How the hell did you come to that conclusion?"

"By utilizing what I believe you refer to as the 'common sense'." Of course Rei had no intention of sounding snarky, nor did she have the capacity, yet she succeeded none the less. "Even before Instrumentality, it was little secret that we were piloting the Eva's for NERV, or at least within Tokyo 3 it was. Since Instrumentality, the entire world knows who we are, Shinji in particular, even if the experience of Instrumentality led to a collective decision to allow us to live in relative peace. If Dr. Reniot was to diagnosis Shinji as being contaminated, whether he's imprisoned or executed, people are going to notice he's missing. It would be like assassinating the leader of a major world power and then proceeding to cover it up as if the assassination never took place. The truth of what happened the day of the test will get out, and then everyone will know something has happened with Shinji… Likely sooner as opposed to later."

"My point exactly," Asuka lied, having never been capable of giving Rei Ayanami an inch. "See Hikari, everyone will know what's going on soon enough, so you just keep this information to yourself until then."

"I told you I wouldn't tell anyone," Hikari said with a frown. "That doesn't mean I have to feel its right to keep this information from Toji."

"You don't have to agree that its right, you just have to do it," Asuka told her as Rei started to walk off in direction of the Geofront. Asuka took this as her cue to get moving, not wanting to fall behind. "I'll try to call you tonight okay?"

"Okay… Bye Asuka…" The red-head was nearly out of earshot before Hikari decided to call out to her. "Good luck Asuka! I hope everything goes well for you! And Shinji…"

Asuka looked back at her friend, smiled and waved. Hikari returned the favor in kind. As Asuka turned her back to the freckle-faced class-rep, her smile instantly disappeared. She had this sinking feeling that nothing about this trip to NERV was going to turn out well for either one of them.

* * *

"I don't believe this…" said Commander Katsuragi, as she closed Shinji's case file and slammed it down on the table in front of Dr. Reniot. "Not a word of it! The findings have to be wrong!"

"You can choose to argue the test results because you don't like the outcome all you'd like, but that's not going to change the facts."

"Assumptions are not facts! You weren't here during the Angel War! You've never even seen a pattern blue, so how can you decide definitively that someone has been contaminated by an Angel?!"

"I may not have the experience, but my predecessor witnessed quite a bit. The research she left behind is nothing short of phenomenal. I'd have to be a simpleton not to know what signs to look for." Seeing the veins beginning to bulge on her commanding officer's forehead, Dr. Reniot sighed, and decided a change of tactic might be in order. "Do you truly believe I relished the thought of having to give you this report? I absolutely dreaded it! I didn't want these results to be true anymore than you did, but I can't turn a blind eye to what I see! Every test we've run, every diagnostic I could come up with, and every last one indicates Angel contamination! At some point you're going to have to stop looking at this situation as Shinji's guardian, and start looking at it as the Supreme Commander of NERV!"

"I can't… I just can't…" Shock setting in, Misato sat down in her chair and went nearly limp. "Even when I look at the situation as his superior, I see everything he's done for NERV and humanity as a whole, and all he's sacrificed while doing it… I see how much he means to so many of the people that work here…"

"Perhaps you should be looking at this situation from another angle," the doctor said, as she leaned in close so Misato could hear her whisper. "Shinji was clinically dead for a portion of that test. Who's to say that the Shinji who came out of the entry plug was even Shinji at all?"

"Because I know Shinji… I knew it was him the second I spoke to him once he regained consciousness, and got the chance to look into his eyes… Not that I would expect you to understand that…" Misato sighed, and hung her head. "I need some time to process this… We'll discuss this further after I've gone back over your report and considered… Your recommendation." Those last two words definitely had an edge to them, not to mention plenty of spite. Enough so that the good doctor winced, and meekly nodded her head in response… Well, at least her reaction proved one thing. Dr. Renoit certainly wasn't Ritsuko Akagi. She wouldn't even have flinched at Misato's hostility. Then again, Ritsuko was technically her superior at the time, so the added weight of her Commander's title might've had something to do with Dr. Reniot backing down.

Misato wordlessly excused herself from the briefing, and exited the office. Her timing could not have been worse, for she bumped into the last two people she wanted to see at that moment. Her two non-contaminated pilots, and together no less, which pretty much eliminated any doubt their timing was a coincidence. The three women stared at one another for some time, all three terrified for various reasons, and no one really wanted to be the first to speak. Even Rei felt a level of anxiety she wasn't even aware she was capable of until this very moment.

"Girls…" Misato finally spoke, using her Commander's voice. "What brings you two to the Geofront? Neither of you were scheduled to be here today."

"Can we please skip the runaround Misato, you know why we're here!" Misato's play at ignorance had annoyed Asuka enough that her initial apprehension evaporated.

Rei took a much more diplomatic approach. "We were aware that Dr. Reniot was briefing you on Shinji's examination results this afternoon…. We would like to hear the update on Shinji's condition."

"Girls…" With that one word, or rather the tone it was spoken in, caused their hearts to sink. Something was horribly wrong. Misato stiffened her resolve, and in Commander's speak, gave Shinji's fellow pilots the answers they deserved. "Physically, Shinji appears to be fine… However, Dr. Reniot and her team have determined that the Third Child is showing numerous signs of Angel contamination… Pending further investigation, Shinji will remain in custody for observation."

"Observation…" Asuka scoffed. "You mean he'll remain your damn prisoner don't you?!"

"If that's the case, he'd be getting off easy in my opinion…" No one had asked her opinion, but Dr. Reniot offered it anyway as she exited the office with Shinji's file. Three pairs of eyeballs were immediately glued to her. "If my recommendations are followed, then Shinji Ikari should be executed as an Angel for the sake of preserving the human race…"

Those three sets of eyes had now turned into daggers directed at her throat. Misato and Asuka didn't bother her, Misato had already made it clear how she felt, and seeing Asuka's temper flare was nothing new. Rei Ayanami though… A girl seemingly void of emotion, even now as Rei gawked at her, and yet somehow she still managed to broadcast hostility… The First Child staring at her like that was just plain creepy.

"And my recommendation to you would be to stick a hot poker up your ass!" Asuka spat, at the same time trying to make sense of a couple things. "None of this even makes sense! The virus that attacked the Eva wasn't an Angel, it was simply fashioned from one! How could Shinji possibly have been contaminated by an Angel if they're all dead?!"

Dr. Reniot's head perked up. While the sabotage of Unit Two and the condition of the Third Child was known, it had yet to be released that the virus was fashioned from Angel remains. Asuka was literally an academic genius though, so it was feasible that the red-head could've pieced the clues together and came to that conclusion. She decided it was nothing to worry about, and she should just brush Asuka off. "The Angels are beings far beyond our full comprehension, and it would take the height of human arrogance for us to believe we could completely understand their biology. What happened with Shinji is just one instance in a long line of unexplained phenomena involving the Angels."

"Explain this to me then," Asuka snorted. "NERV security guards have their own security guards, so how the hell does someone manage to slip past all the defenses of the alleged 'most secure base in the world', to get close enough to my Eva to inject a virus into it?!"

Dr. Reniot flinched again… Asuka's tone was very accusatory, and the doctor did struggle with a moderate case of paranoia. She struggled to respond in her defense, but lucky for her, Misato unexpectedly came to her rescue by answering for her. "Believe me, we're looking into that… It's disheartening to even fathom that degree of sabotage is still possible within this organization…"

"Well, you shouldn't have to look very far. The list of suspects should be extremely short… How many people can NERV possibly employ that have the security clearance, and the know how to administer a virus to a gigantic cyborg without being noticed? There might be two maybe even three if you look hard enough and stretch the requirements, but the good doctor here is the only name to come to mind straight off the top of my head…"

Dr. Reniot flinched again, no recoiled this time actually… Maybe this brat had figured out something she shouldn't have… Either way, the nervous doctor couldn't keep her feelings to herself this time. "What exactly are you accusing me of you obnoxious brat?! I'll have you know…"

"Um, hello! Commanding officer here!" Misato practically roared, in total disbelief. "Are you two seriously going to start bickering with me standing right here?!"

Misato stepped between the two women, and shot her first glare down at Asuka who paid little heed to the scowl of death from her guardian. "Back off Asuka! You're not going to start pointing fingers without evidence, especially when your emotions are steering you towards those accusations!"

Dr. Reniot sneered snidely as Asuka was admonished, only to balk again when Misato's glare diverted to her. "As for you, doctor… At least Asuka has the excuse of being a teenage girl to explain her outburst, but you have no such claim. I would expect the head of my Science Division, whether justified or not, would handle wild accusations from an upset kid with a little more professionalism!"

"Um, of course sir!" she sucked up immediately. "You're correct, I shouldn't have reacted so thoughtlessly. I'll be sure to act more professionally in the future."

"Good. Doctor, you are dismissed. Asuka, wait for me in the main lobby. I have something I need to take care of, and then I'll take you home. Rei, I can give you a ride home if you'd like…"

"That will not be necessary commander. I have no trouble walking home from head-quarters. I've done so quite frequently in…"

"You're riding with us Rei," Misato sighed. "Consider it an order."

"If that is the case, I shall wait in the main lobby with the Second Child."

"Hold on, I'm not done yet!" Asuka pushed her way passed Rei, and crept up behind Dr. Reniot before she could sneak away. "There's something I still want to know! Not that I'm 'accusing' anyone of anything, but why is it that the doctor here is so eager to label Shinji as being contaminated! Three days doesn't seem like adequate enough time to slap that kind of label on someone!"

"Asuka, do you really believe I wanted the results to turn out the way they did?" the doctor began, her tone much more calm this time around. "We ran every test we could run multiple times and checked and then double checked every result. In the end, every test we ran on Shinji has pointed towards contamination. Believe me, the last thing I wanted to do was accuse my Commander's legal ward of being a threat to humanity. I made damn sure the results were consistent before coming to my conclusion."

"Or so that's what you claim anyway," Asuka whispered to herself. Misato overheard though, and it drew her ire.

"That's enough from you Asuka! Now, go to lobby and wait for me there… And don't leave Rei behind, she's going with us."

"Whatever…" Hinting that perhaps she was done with arguing anyway, she quickly complied. "Come on Wondergirl! It doesn't count as leaving you behind if you can't keep up!"

Rei bowed politely to the Commander and followed after Asuka at her usual walking pace. It wasn't like she didn't know how to get to the lobby, or that Misato was going to somehow beat her there. As soon as the girls were out of sight, Misato's expression fell so quickly and so hard, it would've hit the ground if her face hadn't been attached to Misato's skull. She pinched the bridge of her nose between her thumb and index finger, feeling the sudden threat of a migraine coming on. "It's a funny thing you know… It was exactly three days ago when I started to really hate my job…"

When Rei arrived in the lobby, she found Asuka seated atop one of the unused receptionist desks, as apparently the dozen or so chairs and couches on either wall weren't comfortable enough for her liking. She was kicking her legs in the air impatiently, obviously as agitated as a person could be before they started breaking things. This, added with her reputation, was probably why none of the NERV personal in the lobby bothered to admonish her for it.

Rei of course, reacted as if nothing was out of the ordinary, seemingly unfazed by the thought that this ticking time bomb could blow up in her face at any second. "Do you truly believe Dr. Reniot has something to do with sabotaging Unit 2, or were you just angry with her for what she said about Shinji?"

Asuka appeared surprised Rei had addressed her so direcdtly. Normally, a conversation with the human puppet was something Asuka avoided like Aliens avoided any weirdo wearing tinfoil. Rei rarely asked such pointed questions to anyone though, unless she was truly interested in getting answers. For once, speaking to Rei felt like speaking to a potential ally rather than a bleached doll with the personality of a toaster.

"Honestly… I'm not sure. A little of both really… When you think about it objectively, Reniot is the only suspect that makes sense. Whoever administered that virus to Unit 2 had to have two things… One, either the security clearance or the ability to circumvent all of NERV's seemingly endless security measures. Two, that person would have to have some degree of medical expertise to know how and where to inject the virus to make sure it infects the Eva as quickly as possible…. Not to mention being shifty enough to do so without any of the dozens of guards and cameras watching the cages 24/7 noticing. There are only three people in this organization that fall under one of these categories let alone both."

"You are referring to Commander Katsuragi, Sub-Commander Tanaka, and Dr. Reniot?"

"Bullseye… It's obviously not Misato. Even if she had lost her mind without anyone noticing, she'd never risk harming her precious Shinji! Sub-Commander Tanaka doesn't have the medical background, or any apparent motive. Even if he is working as a double agent for the Japanese Government, I doubt they'd have the resources or capability to engineer a virus from Angel remains… That only leaves the good ole doctor… I understand that having the means doesn't guarantee guilt and all that crap, but even without direct evidence, logic has to take affect at some point."

"Your theory isn't unreasonable… Dr. Reniot is the most viable candidate for the sabotage, though as you alluded to yourself, being the most likely suspect doesn't guarantee her guilt. I'm assuming you have another reason to suspect the doctor is the culprit?"

Asuka thought the question over for an extended moment. "Honestly, I wasn't one hundred percent sure until the Doctor declared that she thought Shinji should be executed… It just didn't make sense to me…"

"Why would it not? Whether we agree with the punishment or not, executing a person believed to have been compromised by an Angel would seem to be standard NERV procedure…. At least under Commander Ikari's administration anyhow…"

"That's not what I mean! It was how quickly she jumped into lynch mob mode after revealing Shinji's test results… I would almost understand the decision if it was made by someone who had been working in Tokyo 3 when the Angels started attacking, but Reniot wasn't even officially with NERV at the time! She was cleaning LCL off a pigeon's wings somewhere! She never saw the horrors of what an Angel was capable of first hand, or what it was like to go up against them… No amount of research notes Dr. Akagi left behind could offer her firsthand experience in that. Why was she so quick to condemn Shinji then? It's almost as if she had an agenda…"

"An Agenda?" Rei asked, finding herself more and more interested in Asuka's theory, and so far she found herself somewhat agreeing with it. "How so?"

"Well… The attack was on Unit 2, so clearly the attack was meant to disable my Eva and me, if not kill me in the process… There's no way the saboteur could've known Shinji would lock me in his bedroom and take that test for me… I'm beginning to believe that Dr. Reniot is the one who poisoned my Eva, with the intention of killing me in the process. When Shinji survived, I think Dr. Reniot panicked, so she fabricated the contamination story and is now pushing for Shinji's execution to help make up for her failure to get to me…"

Rei remained silent looking straight ahead. The silence proved too much for Asuka. "Well Wondergirl?! Do you have an opinion or not?!"

"Your theory is plausible, but whether I agree with it or not is beside the point… All that matters is Dr. Reniot is currently a threat to Shinji… And that I cannot tolerate. If proving your theory correct clears my brother's name, then that's what has to be done."

Asuka frowned at first, but that frown gradually submitted and gave way to a grin. "Looks like we're on the same page for a change Wondergirl…"

Maybe it wasn't the same page but at least they were reading the same book. They didn't know how they were going to do it, but one way or another, they had to expose Dr. Reniot as the traitor that she was. Even if it turned out that she wasn't, if the end result was life or death for Shinji, the sacrifice of the doctor was one they were willing to make.

* * *

Ryoji Kaji was a difficult man to get a handle on to say the least, an attribute of his that was advantageous to his profession. Kaji wasn't your prototypical spy either. He didn't ride in on horseback into some foreign country with a native name and fake accent, all in an attempt to cozy up to some diplomat who may or may not have information that his country was five seconds ahead of his own on developing some kind of new light bulb for the prime minister's office, or something equally ridiculous. Whether dealing with NERV, the JDSF, SEELE, or his close friends outside of his secret life, Ryoji Kaji always wore the same face. It was amazing how many people he'd managed to fool across the span of his short career as a spy, simply by being himself. What you saw from Kaji was what you got, never pretending to be somebody else… He just pretended to work for you. His unrivaled charm was the only tool he really needed in his spy arsenal, with all due respect to James Bond. Those who've known him since college, swear on their children's lives that he once charmed the pants off an elderly lady at her own funeral. Like a good spy, Kaji refused to confirm or deny this story, and of course it's impossible to verify. If women ran the world, Kaji would've, at the very least, toppled half the governments across the globe. To go along with his allure, Kaji was so engaging and forthcoming during a conversation that he even had most men hanging off his every word. The few people that tended not to like him, aside from those aware he was a triple agent, only disliked him because he was so damn engaging and easy to get along with. Some guys just hated other guys with personalities like Kaji's for some reason.

For all of Kaji's strengths as a spy, his tactics did have one fatal flaw. Once he was found out to be a triple agent, he was pretty much worthless in the field after that. Even for someone with Kaji's level of charisma, it proved difficult to talk yourself back into somebody's good graces after they discover you've been divulging all their secrets to an organization that would use this information to eventually destroy you. When SEELE decided to put the hit out on the compromised spy, they actually sort of did Kaji and his handlers a favor. It was quite mind-boggling, in Kaji's opinion, how an organization as far reaching and with the resources that SELEE had, could bungle an assassination as badly as they had his. The fact that SEELE didn't even realize they had botched it was just damn amusing. Just wait until the genocidal bastards find out that a corpse had been slowing picking them off one by one… Anyway, not only was the fool they assigned the job unable to shoot straight, but he didn't even have the sense to check his body and make sure the job had been done. If he had, he might've found the bullet proof vest he'd been wearing, or the fact that the only bullet that hit its target wasn't anywhere close to being a fatal shot. SEELE hadn't even bothered to clean up their mess after his supposed death. When Kaji's body disappeared, SEELE and NERV must've both assumed the other had removed his corpse, and no one bothered to check into it afterward. Hell, the damn fools practically faked Kaji's death for him.

He'd become what you might call a frozen asset shortly after his death, on standby for when and where his government might need him again. This didn't last long though, only up until the point SEELE had convinced the JSSDF to invade NERV and terminate everyone within the Geofront. Kaji had been strategically left out of the loop during the planning stages of the assault on NERV. Kaji was too close to the target, having lived and worked among the people inside the Geofront complex. His close relationships with key NERV personnel were well documented and heavily scrutinized. Considered a potential hindrance to the plans objective, with good reason, Kaji's attention had been diverted elsewhere so he was conveniently occupied when the assault on the Geofront commenced. It didn't take long for Kaji to get wind of what was going on however… Never before had he been so enraged in his life, nor had he ever felt so betrayed. The country and organization he'd sacrificed so much for and dedicated so much of his life too, had reduced themselves to this… Slaughtering hundreds of innocents, most of whom were incapable of even defending themselves, and all on the whim of Instrumentalities secret puppet masters. The JSSDF proved to be no better than common barbarian's, slaughtering everyone in sight and going as far to directly target children, all in the name of national security.

Kaji's first instinct was to walk right up to his commander, the man who orchestrated the massacre, and shoot him dead between the eyes. Of course Kaji didn't do this, opting instead to force feed him Kaji's trademark carefree grin while he choked down his own bile as he declared the preservation of the nation of Japan was worth any sacrifice. Even if they looked no better than a Mongol Horde while doing so. He was a good spy after all, so he hid his true feeling and opinions behind a mask of blind obedience, all the while mapping out his next moves. What his employers were unaware of, was that Ryoji Kaji had vowed never to take orders from the JDDSF again. By the time his handlers realized he was gone, he'd be so far underground that an army of rabbits and moles wouldn't be able to find him.

Of course Instrumentality happened, rendering any plans he devised to escape moot. Soon after though, to his delight, Shinji kicked his father and SEELE between the legs and before Kaji knew it, he was back on Earth with his body intact. There was no need to run from the JSSDF either, for the organization didn't exist anymore. Seeing as everybody's private business was now everyone's business it got out that the JSSDF had slaughtered hundreds of people, including specifically targeting children for death, when simply apprehending the nutcase in charge of the organization would've sufficed. The JSSDF looked just as much a tool of SEELE as Gendo Ikari had molded NERV to be. None of those involved in the massacre would ever be held responsible as their actions were deemed necessary, if not fatally flawed. The defense force was now a PR nightmare though, and was hurriedly dissolved once the country's power base got back on track after Instrumentality. They were replaced by the JSDU, a more tempered version of the same organization. Kaji was highly skeptical when one of his former commanding officers from the JSSDF recruited him for the new special-forces unit. The only reason Kaji even listened was because this man was one of the few who openly spoke out against the drastic measures the JSSDF took against NERV. Kaji almost unwittingly found himself back in the spy business, and as a dead spy to boot. Kaji promised himself that he would not make the same mistakes he had before. Meaning he refused to betray the people he cared about even if it meant spending the rest of his life in prison, not that he had any intention to do that mind you. The idea of extracting justice on the true villains of the Angel War was too enticing of a job perk to pass up, though admittedly not the primary reason he decided to accept the job. The main appeal of his job was that the JSDU's working relationship with NERV provided Kaji the opportunity to keep tabs on particular NERV personal who all believed the man watching over them was dead and buried. By opportunity, of course, meant his job was to spy on NERV operations.

The JSDU's relationship was 100 times better than NERV's previous relationship with the JSSDF. It was still lousy, filled with mistrust, bickering, and good old fashioned school yard finger pointing and name calling. Still, both sides had come to accept that the other wasn't hell bent on destroying them. The relationship was doomed to be strained though. NERV, understandably, was suspicious of any national origination with the authority to order a full scale military assault on their facility. On the other hand, the JSDU, also understandably, had a hard time trusting an organization with near limitless resources and the tools to wipe out humanity on the whim of its commanding officer.

Kaji was pleasantly surprised at how easy it had been to convince his superiors to place him on the NERV detail. It made sense after all, as he'd been on the inside before and knew the massive complex well. He wondered if his boss had an inkling of Kaji's true motives, but honestly it didn't really concern Kaji if he knew or not. He'd play by the rules and follow orders until either SEELE was erased from existence, or until it no longer suited his agenda to work for then. The latter happened after Shinji was falsely imprisoned after Unit 2 was injected with the Angel virus. Despite being the picture of health, Dr. Reniot, who Kaji was convinced now more than ever was SEELE'S mole, had been doing everything in her power to convince Misato and everyone at NERV who would listen that Shinji had been contaminated by the virus. Kaji came to his crossroad after his superiors refused to take the information he had gathered to NERV officials on grounds that they didn't have enough evidence to accuse a respected member of the organization of being a SEELE spy. Kaji would've wondered if it was simply sour grapes, a way of the JSDU sticking it to NERV, if not for the fact that he just couldn't accept the JSDU would allow a teenage kid and hero of the Angel War to rot over a petty rivalry between the two organizations. It didn't matter in the end, because the JSDU wasn't going to do anything about Reniot without stronger evidence. Meanwhile, Reniot had the authority to do pretty much whatever she pleased to Shinji and do whatever it took to keep him quiet. Kaji was no longer content to wait around for things to happen, it was time to make things happen. That's what brought him to this place tonight. There would likely be hell to pay when his bosses got wind of what he was up to, but Kaji laughed it off, joking to himself at how he had plenty of credit built up with the Man in Red.

Asuka stormed into her room, immediately hurling her briefcase into the wall. Once her conversation with Rei in the lobby was complete, and lacking anything else to focus on, her anger and resentment for this situation festered and grew. Her rage nowhere near quenched, she grabbed anything and everything that would fit into her hand, regardless of value or sentiment, and flung them to all corners of her bedroom. Still not satisfied, she scanned the bedroom looking for anything substantial she could break, something that would make a satisfying crunch when she snapped it in half. The one thing she had that fit the bill was her bed, and it's wooden frame. It should be mere child's play to rip out a few springs and reduce the frame to kindling. Something had to be sacrificed, less the flood of anger she was feeling would continue to rise until she drowned in it. Her hands were underneath the mattress, poised to do just that, when an image of Shinji popped into her head. One of the boy huddled in the corner of his dark cell, which brought to mind the helplessness Asuka had felt as Misato had told her Unit 2 may never be functional again, or when Dr. Reniot so arrogantly announced her suggestion that Shinji be executed, and how Misato had confessed she couldn't dismiss the option outright pending investigation.

Her anger faded, replaced by feelings of helpless despair, hating the feeling that she had no control over anything going on in her life. She dropped the mattress, and sat down atop of it. Bringing her knees up to her chin, she sat entirely motionless except for the slightest tremble as she did everything in her power to keep herself composed. Little did Asuka know, her bedroom was not the fortress of solitude she hoped it would be on this night.

"You've grown Red… And I see your temper has grown along with the rest of you…"

Asuka's eyes widened at the sound of a voice that seemed to reach her ears from beyond the grave. She looked towards the source of the voice, and caught a glimpse of the faint outline of a silhouette slowly emerging from the darkness. As her eyes strained to get used to the dark, they finally focused on a rugged unshaven face that, at one point in her life, she thought could solve any problem she ever had in life. For a second, she considered whether or not she'd fallen asleep and her subconscious was fucking with her again.

Kaji's smile was mostly genuine as he studied the young girl that had once been under his care. Normally the epitome of cool and collective, for once Kaji found himself at a loss for what to say. There were so many things that needed to be said, and perhaps if he had more time to prepare for this reunion, if his decision to reveal himself to Asuka hadn't been so knee-jerk, he'd be doing more than just staring at the girl and smiling as if he hadn't disappeared from her life nearly three years before. The look on the German girl's face was confusing… Kaji couldn't tell if she wanted to hug him or punch him in the face. Asuka, it seemed, had settled for something in-between. Tears in her eyes, she lunged at him from the bed, her fists rolled into balls before they came crashing into her former guardian's chest repeatedly.

"How dare you!... You… You make us all think you died, and then you suddenly show up again after all this time and drag Shinji into your fucked up spy games! Now he's locked away at NERV, waiting for that freak Dr. Reniot to do God knows what to him! You've got some nerve thinking you could just show up here! Why the hell are you even here?!"

Kaji grabbed Asuka by the wrists, and she put up a struggle mostly for show. Despite her words, they had none of the real bite to them that Kaji knew Asuka was capable of. Judging by her outburst, Shinji had either told Asuka about his collaboration with the JSDU agent, or Asuka had heard the tapes for herself… The latter was more likely, and it didn't really surprise Kaji that Shinji wouldn't destroy those tapes as Kaji had asked. Not that any of that mattered now, but at least he didn't have to fill Asuka in on what was going on. "Listen Red, I'm sorry… I know that's not good enough, but it'll have to do for now. I promise there will come a day very soon when I'll explain everything. I'm here tonight because I desperately need your help."

"For what?" Asuka sniffed. "Since you got Shinji thrown in prison, now you have to move down the ladder to the next pilot you think you can sink your hooks into?!"

"I'll admit that's part of it, but my intentions aren't as callous as they might seem. Listen, I wasn't fool enough to think I could just pop back into your life and you'd be okay with it. That's one of the reasons I stayed away, but… The situation has changed, and I'm running out of reasons to hide. At this moment, all of that is unimportant though. What is important is that we can help each other. We both want the same thing after all."

Asuka jerked away from him, scowling. "And what the hell might that be?!"

"If I'm not mistaken, I believe we both want to liberate Mr. Ikari from NERV quarantine." Asuka's stern expression remained, however her silence was the go ahead Kaji needed to continue. "You don't trust me right now, and I don't blame you for it, but believe me… I blame myself for what happen to Shinji as much as you probably blame me… That's why I'm here trying to right that wrong… I can't do it myself, but perhaps together we may have a chance to extract Ikari from the Geofront."

Asuka stood there patiently shooting the same inquiring look at her formerly dead former guardian, and he was doing a damn good job hiding how nervous he actually was. Facing down Asuka and Misato after his sudden return from the dead were not confrontations he'd been looking forward to. "You're right, I do blame you for not realizing that telling the idiot about SEELE's plan pretty much guaranteed he would end up sacrificing himself to stop it! I blame you for not coming to me instead of Shinji! I would've found a way to prevent the sabotage, or at least found a way to neutralize the virus without nailing myself to the cross to prevent it!"

"I had my reasons for choosing Shinji… Believe me, I wouldn't have involved him or anyone else if I hadn't deemed it absolutely necessary. As long as Shinji doesn't regret helping me, then I don't regret asking… You are right about one thing though, Shinji taking your place in that sync test was something I never really considered, but I'm trying to correct that oversight. I have a plan, but I can't do this alone Asuka… Will you help me?"

Asuka hesitated before answering pointedly. "No." Kaji looked shocked before Asuka elaborated. "I'll do this to help Shinji… If helping him escape benefits you in anyway, then that's a compromise I'll just have to accept."

Kaji smirked at this. "I'm fine with that… We shouldn't waste any time, let's go…"

Asuka was caught off guard. "What? Right now, really?"

"Yes." Kaji's teasing smirk was one Asuka knew all too well. "Unless you feel you need to get in your beauty sleep before you ride in on your white horse to save the Third Child. Hate to drop in on him with bags under your eyes hey?"

Asuka blushed, and then scowled, agitated that Kaji was already trying his tired playful banter on her after abandoning her for so long. "Joke all you want, you're the only person in this room you're going to amuse." Asuka turned and headed for her door. "I'll meet you down the street at the gas station… I take it you don't want to risk being seen walking out the front door…"

Asuka turned to see Kaji's reaction to her remark, only to go wide-eyed when she noticed Kaji was gone. She narrowed her eyes and sulked. "Great, now he thinks he's frickin' Batman…"

End of Chapter 13

 _-And so chapter 13 wraps up... Sorry to all those who've waited this long for a bridge chapter, but it was necessary. I'm not really the biggest fan of the Kaji faking his death angle, but I found myself at an impasse. The character is just too good not to use in some capacity, and he died far too soon to use Instrumentality as an excuse for his return. Besides, if you use Instrumentality as a crutch to explain the otherwise unexplainable too often, it starts to look lazy. The real meat of this chapter was Kaji revealing himself to Asuka, and her reaction to him was paramount to showing how she's been growing over the course of this story, reacting with anger and suspicion rather than fawning all over him... Hopefully I'll have chapter 14 up for you soon._


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

The night Misato Katsuragi got the news that Shinji Ikari was likely contaminated by an Angel was likely the worst day of her life… And that was saying something, as there were many nominees. Second Impact, Kaji dying, or getting shot and killed during the assault on the Geofront by the JSSDF all came to mind. She did manage to catch up on some sleep that night, aided by good old fashioned exhaustion and some alcohol. She awoke the next morning still groggy and emotionally drained. If she had a normal job, she probably would've called in sick, but you don't get sick days when you're the head of an organization tasked with saving the world if necessary.

Misato stumbled into the kitchen, half expecting the smell of breakfast to chase some of the sleep away… Then it hit her like a ton of bricks. That was right… Shinji was in a NERV prison cell, and barring some kind of miracle, he likely wouldn't be leaving his cell anytime soon. Misato then remembered she at least still had beer… Beer had never let her down before. Zombieing her way to the fridge, she didn't even notice the note with her name on it until the door was closed and her beer in hand. The note was from Asuka, if that wasn't already completely obvious.

 _-I've decided to go to Hikari's for the night… In fact, I'll probably spend the next couple of days there. I have to get away from all the crap going on right now… I doubt I have to remind you what I'm referring too._

 _-Asuka_

Misato couldn't blame Asuka at all, and thus gave Asuka a pass for not asking, or at least telling her directly that she'd be leaving home for a couple days. Misato wished she could get away for a couple days… Maybe a couple of months even. Misato looked down at her beer and came to a decision. One beer wasn't going to be near enough, and thus liberated two cans from the fridge. She sat down at her dining table alone, as she had done so many times before those two kids came into her life, and started knocking a few pops back. So what if she went into work a little bit buzzed? Maybe this way she could stand to be around Dr. Reniot without having to fight off the urge to shoot her in the face.

* * *

Asuka had to hand it to Ryoji Kaji… His ability to sneak into your backdoor unnoticed, and become lost within the shadows at a moment's notice was rivaled by none. She wasn't sure if Kaji's plan was brilliant or insane. She leaned towards brilliant fore, despite how angry she still was with him, she found that the trust she so eagerly gave to him all those years ago hadn't completed died. Kaji may have been a creep who let you think he was dead while he was off playing super spy, but Asuka couldn't accept that the Kaji she knew would ever do anything deliberately that would cause harm to her.

As anxious as she was to act, she was glad Kaji wasn't throwing his plan into action that same night. Kaji did have a rather in-depth plan and it took a few hours for Kaji to walk her through the details. His plan was thorough; there was no question about that. Kaji showed Asuka the safe house she and Shinji would take cover in after escaping the Geofront, the car that would be picking them up, and even provided her with the blueprints of the tunnels she'd be using to orchestra Shinji's escape. As complicated as the tunnel system was, Asuka lived up to her genius reputation, having little trouble committing the layout to memory as well as the quickest route to get to Shinji and to get them back out. She knew what she had to do, and she could only hope Kaji was capable of doing his part. Not that she was totally sure what part Kaji was going to play, only that he was orchestrating some sort of distraction in hopes of drawing attention away from Shinji's cell, and in the process, limit the risk of Asuka herself being discovered. Asuka was skeptical to say the least. Building a private rocket and then flying said rocket to the moon seemed like it would be a more plausible task than getting around NERV security. Then again, Kaji had managed to fake his own death, well not so much fake his death as he played it up. He then kept the rouse up for years, while for most of that time-frame, still spying on those same people who thought him deceased. If anyone could pull off the near impossible, Ryoji Kaji was on the shortlist of candidates.

Now, they sat in Kaji's car, near the entrance Asuka would use to access the tunnels. Asuka didn't really feel nervous as much as she felt anxious to get going. To a degree, she wasn't even sure why, but she felt like getting Shinji out of NERV custody was something she had to do.

"You're positive you still want to go through with this?" Kaji asked from behind the wheel of his car. Asuka simply nodded her head. Kaji smiled in amusement. "Still giving me the silent treatment huh? The only responses I've gotten out of you are a few grunts and head gestures."

Asuka continued to deny him a verbal response, looking out the window of the car towards the area she knew the entrance shaft was. Kaji couldn't blame her for not being sociable. Asuka didn't throw out trust to just anybody, and when you broke that trust, she was less likely than most to give it back. Still, this was a delicate operation they were running, and he needed confirmation from Asuka that she understood the plan and her role in it. He needed more than just some barely audible grunting noises. This was no time for Asuka to be playing the betrayed heroine. "Would you mind explaining to me exactly what you're angry with me about? Is it because I never told you I was still alive, or because I was partly responsible for getting the man you love thrown in the slammer?"

The tactic worked like a charm. Asuka's face exploded red as she snapped her head around to refute him. "That's not why I'm doing this! Why would you even think that?!"

Kaji would've liked to have said, 'because your obvious', but wisely held his tongue. "Because I knew it would get a rise out of you. Look, I know you're upset with me and you have every right to be, but this isn't the time to be petty. Let's focus on freeing Shinji, and after we accomplish that, you can despise me to the edge of eternity and back if you so please."

Asuka glowered at him for a moment before answering him with a groan. "Fine! I'll have my part covered, just make sure you can handle yours!"

"You needn't worry your pretty little head over that one Red… There is one thing I need to know though. Judging from the blue prints and what we've discussed from the layout of the Geofront, how long do you estimate it will take you to get from your entry point to the area housing Shinji's cell?"

Asuka analyzed the data she had available to her, all stored conveniently in her head. "Considering I'll be traveling on hands and knees most of the way, if I really book it, I would guess anywhere from 20-30 minutes. Of course, it would be the same time-frame on the trip back, not including however long it takes me to free Shinji from his cell and sneak out unnoticed."

"I see…, Not a lot of time to work with… I'm not sure that's going to be possible, and for our plan to work our timing has to correlate perfectly."

"It's not that big of a deal… If I arrive at the holding wing too early, I can just bide my time until the fireworks start…"

"That's too risky… Obviously, the holding wing will be heavily secured, so there's far too great a risk you'll be discovered… I'll need to have begun drawing the attention of the security detail before you arrive on the scene."

"Fine then…" Asuka said, sounding irritated. "How long will it take you to get into position once you leave here?"

"About 20-30 thirty minutes… Same as you."

"Well, that's quite the dilemma isn't it? Luckily for us, there's a simple solution. After I enter the tunnel I'll give you twenty minutes to get where you need to be before I start crawling towards the Geofront. That should nullify any risk that I'll arrive at my destination prematurely."

"You sure you can be patient enough to wait for twenty minutes?"

"I'll do what has to be done! Before I do though, I need your reassurance on something…"

"I'll be all over it if I'm able… What's on your mind Red?"

"I want to be certain that you're going to keep your promise… That once I've freed Shinji and we've made our escape, neither one of us ever has to see or hear from you again!"

Kaji's expression fell, but he quickly rebounded and forced a smile. "That is what I promised you isn't it? I am a man of my word Asuka…"

"That's the problem Kaji… Here lately, it's become obvious that your word doesn't mean much of anything…" Asuka sighed, as she opened the passenger door to the car, and exited the vehicle. Kaji was taken aback, as he'd had virtually no prior experience on Asuka's shit list. All he could hope for now was to execute their plan without a hitch, and hopefully, one day Asuka would understand why he had to do the things he did.

Kaji waited and watched Asuka, as she scanned the barren landscape to make sure no one was around watching her. He waited until her red-head disappeared into the tunnel, and only once she closed the lid did he drive off, his plan running through this head several times on the short drive just a few miles up the road. His effort needed to be flawless as failure just wasn't anywhere close to being an option. If he tripped up even a little, he risked destroying the lives of two young people he'd never wish any harm on, all for the sake of rectifying the mistakes he made with the first one.

* * *

The Geofront was surprisingly quiet that day despite the 50 ton Elephant sitting atop the complex threatening to bring the roof crashing down on everyone inside. Details of course were classified, having only been disclosed to the three-headed monster running the show. They couldn't hide what people saw with their own eyeballs though, or what they heard with their ears as the gossip spread like wildfire throughout the massive NERV complex. As a result, the general population was well aware of the incident with Unit 2, and the Third Child's recent incarceration. NERV didn't exactly have a lot of high school dropouts on the payroll, so two and two were quickly calculated and the gossip immediately started flying in all directions. The reactions were decidedly mixed, but not in the way you might think. The vast majority of the staff took a stance of neutrality, as there was a general confidence that Commander Katsuragi would make the right decision in the end. Her staff had much more faith that she would do what was in the best interest of everyone, as opposed to her predecessor whose every decision reflected whatever the hell it was that he wanted that particular second. That wasn't to say that there wasn't a strong outpouring of sympathy for the Third Child, there was, as few had forgotten that same child was a big part of the reason the human race was still around.

Almost no one shared the extreme views of Dr. Reniot, who wisely took advantage of her recommendation's confidential status and thus hadn't shared her opinion with a soul. Her stance wouldn't be met with a great deal of support she knew, but she only really had to convince one person that she was correct… Though unfortunately for her, that person was practically Shinji's mother. The general consensus around the NERV water cooler was that Shinji would remain locked away while the science department experimented on him. No one really knew how drastic Shinji's situation was, and they had been left in the dark for good reason. In particular, the people who'd worked closest with the pilots and their Commander. A good example would be the bridge technicians that were in the ears of these kids throughout every sync test and every Angel battle. There wasn't much else going on that late morning, so sure enough the topic of Shinji Ikari made its way into conversation."

"Shinji was supposed to get his test results in yesterday, but so far I haven't heard anything about it…" Hyuga wondered out loud.

"That's probably for good reason," Aboa responded, whether his co-worker and friend was actually looking for a response or not. "You saw the look on the Commander's face this morning… I haven't seen her look that combination of angry and distraught since Inspector Kaji was killed… Something's going down, and I doubt any good is going to come from it…"

"The entire situation sounds fishy to me," Maya added. "The rumors can't really be true can they? Contamination? How is that even possible now that all of the Angels have been destroyed? How did Unit 2 get infected with a virus in the first place?!"

"Well, just between the three of us…" Aboa put his head down while motioning for his two co-workers to move in closer. "I wouldn't be surprised at all if SEELE stills has there hooks in this building. Think about it, there are only a handful of people in the world who would even recognize Angel matter when they saw it, let alone know what to do with it. Most of those people work for NERV, and I wouldn't doubt SEELE still has a couple of them on the payroll…"

"That's a scary thought…" Hyuga scratched underneath his chin. "I suppose it wouldn't be practical to have assumed SEELE would just give up after Instrumentality failed the first time. To think someone could get close enough to launch a biological attack one the most powerful weapons ever produced by man… That's just damn scary."

"Yeah… I just hope poor Shinji doesn't have to pay the price because we got lazy…" Maya looked up at the ceiling. Aboa intended to make a lame attempt at comforting her when he got distracted when his chair began to shake… Then his feet, and the floor beneath them. The brief tremor ceased before the NERV tech could process what had happened.

"Did you guys feel that?"

"Feel what?" Hyuga asked, having felt nothing. Maya shook her head in agreement with Hyuga.

"Seriously, you guys didn't fell the building shake a little?... Hmph, maybe it was just my imagination."

Aboa's imagination appeared to have flared up again as he heard a soft banging sound, like a gun being fired the distance. The bang was immediately followed by a hard shaking of the bridge, equipment and the walls. Hyuga nearly feel out of his chair. "Okay, I definitely felt that one!"

"What the hell's going on?! Was that an Earthquake?"

"Let's see…" Maya said, as she rolled her chair back to her station. A few keystrokes later, and she had all the information she needed on screen. "According to these graphs there hasn't been any seismic activity in this area."

"Wait," Aboa said, looking confused. "You're telling me we have our own seismograph?"

Maya simply nodded her head, while his male counter-part had a more condescending response at the ready. "Of course we do Shigeru! You work at NERV! If somebody had invented a machine that could detect farts before they were passed, we would have it."

Aboa wouldn't have time to retort as a much louder bang assaulted his ears, followed by another hard shake of the bridge. This tremor was followed by the room turning red as the alert sirens began to blare.

"What's going on out there?!" Maya jumped from her seat in a panic. The trio was about to flee the bridge, when the doors opened and their seriously pissed off looking Commander entered the bridge area.

"What are you three doing standing around?! Get to your stations, we're under attack!"

The three techs quickly complied. "Do we have any idea who's responsible Commander?"

"No clue Maya… All we know to this point is that someone has set off half a dozen small explosive devices throughout the Geofront. I want all of you to start cycling through security feeds and see if you can spot anything suspicious." The bridge bunnies did as instructed, but could find nothing immediate that was obvious. Aboa and Maya both stumbled upon feeds were explosions had already been reported, and luckily the damage appeared to be minimal. Another explosion soon rocked the bridge, only intensifying Misato's resolve.

"Damn it! Hyuga, order all non-essential and non-combat personal to evacuate the Geofront immediately! Aboa and Ibuki, continue rifling through all available security footage until we figure out what the hell is going on!" Misato turned back to her second-in-command, Tanaka who had followed Misato onto the bridge. "Tanaka… We have no idea if this is a domestic attack or the beginning of something much worse… I want you to gather all security and Section 2 personal and have them search the complex for anyone suspicious or anyone who might be hurt or injured. If they happen across any explosive devices, their orders are to get the hell out of that area as quickly as possible."

"It will be done commander." Tanaka saluted and quickly marched off the bridge.

"We may not know who is responsible…" Aboa thought he was speaking under his breath. "But I bet whoever it is, is also the same person who poisoned Unit 2." The dark haired tech jumped as Misato appeared behind him, staring intently on the camera view displayed on his computer screen.

"Let's save the conjecture for later Lieutenant… All that matters right now is putting a stop to whoever is behind this attack before they bring the entire Geofront down around our ears…"

* * *

Shinji approached his cell door cautiously, attracted by the commotion outside. Were those explosions he had heard earlier? Was NERV under attack again?! Before he could speculate further, he was interrupted by the sound of his cell door being unlocked. He back-pedaled, fully expecting armed guards to come storming in, intent on carrying him off somewhere. Instead, when the door opened he found himself staring into the smirking face of a gorgeous red-head. "Bet your glad to see me aren't you baka?"

"Asuka?! What are you… What's going on?..."

Asuka's initial response was to grab Shinji by the collar of his shirt and yank him out of his cell. "Come on Idiot! You can ogle me and ramble incoherently after we escape."

"Where are we going?!" Shinji yelled after her, giving chase down the hall.

"Just follow me!" Shinji complied, his eyes briefly scanning down at the unconscious NERV guard, quickly deciding he didn't want to know how Asuka managed to incapacitate him. The kids didn't have far to flee, stopping below an air vent a good ten feet above the floor and near the ceiling. The vent grate lying unceremoniously on the floor indicated to Shinji that this was where Asuka must've entered NERV's unofficial prison wing. With the aid of several boxes of office supplies, they managed to scale the wall and enter the spacious ventilation system. Always thinking several steps ahead, Asuka had Shinji fetch the dented grate on his way up. Asuka, with little struggle, covered the vent with the ventilation grate. Granted it would likely dislodge if so much as a moth landed on it it, but if the deception bought them even ten extra seconds, that could make all the difference in the world between escape and the two of them likely spending the rest of their teenage years behind bars if not longer.

"What's the point of doing that?" Shinji asked in that whiny voice that so often grated Asuka's nerves to the point of wanting to pull her hair out… On this one occasion though, she didn't seem to notice. "There's literally a camera on every wall, so Section 2 is bound to figure out where we escaped too. Not to mention they'll probably notice the boxes stacked up against the wall…"

"Don't worry your empty little head Shinji… We didn't hatch this escape plan haphazardly, it happened to be well thought out thank you! It'll be a while before any of those bozos are going to pay enough attention to notice you're gone. Your partner has arranged a little distraction that's bound to keep them occupied long enough for us to make our getaway."

"Partner?" Shinji looked confused until Asuka glared at him, and then it hit him. There's no way she could possibly… Shinji had to hold on to that thought, as Asuka got on her hands and knees and started crawling towards freedom. Shinji hastily followed.

"You don't have to act dumb. I heard your little tapes that Kaji recorded for you… Idiot, you shouldn't trap someone in your room with evidence that you're trying keep secret from that person…"

"So you know then…" Shinji blushed slightly, and was thankful Asuka had chosen to wear jeans for this rescue operation. This certainly wasn't the time to be getting back-kicked by the red-head after being forced to look up her skirt…

"More than you know. I guess you can say I'm a co-conspirator now… Kaji actually approached me to help spring your sorry ass from the NERV slammer…"

"Kaji is…"

"You'll have plenty of time to be amazed after we get the hell out of here… Now pick up the pace! Kaji will only be able to occupy them for so long. If we haven't at least cleared the Geofront by the time they notice you're gone, then we're all kinds of screwed."

* * *

"Status report! What's the damage? Are we seeing a high number of casualties?!" Misato demanded from everyone in earshot. Ten minutes had passed since NERV had fallen under attack apparently, and nobody seemed to know just what the hell was going on just yet.

"No casualties reported so far commander," Aboa responded studying the information on his screen. "Luckily, most of the explosions have been isolated in remote areas without a lot of foot traffic…"

"Strange…" Tanaka commented, his hand over his chin as he analyzed the information being funneled in. "The locations of the explosions seem to be in completely random areas of the Geofront… If this is an attack, there doesn't seem to be much logic behind it."

The Commander nodded in agreement, "The teams you sent to examine the detonation sights have reported minimal damage… If these are bombs, then they're not very strong ones… Kind of like the equivalent of shooting bottle rockets at someone's house…"

"It could be a poorly supplied and poorly coordinated attack on the base… Though I doubt anyone that incompetent could've made it this far passed our security network… Perhaps, someone is trying to get our attention?"

"Well, they have it, and it's undivided." Those words were barely out of her mouth, when the alarms went bonkers again.

"Commander, an intruder's been spotted!" Aboa reported, looking dismayed. "Near the Eva cages…"

"Oh hell…" Misato gulped. "Put it on screen now!"

Aboa complied and the image that the bridge was greeted with was a black and white view of NERV guards and Section 2 agents lying in heaps on the floor. The only figure standing had his back to the camera, puffing on a cigarette as if he were taking a stroll in the park. Misato's eyes went wide as the rest of her body clenched. Had she just seen a ghost? The ghost turned and looked up at the camera and smiled. The ghost then waved as if to say hello.

"It can't be…" Maya Ibuki gawked. "Inspector Kaji…"

The young scientist couldn't see the vein bulging on her commander's forehead. Misato quickly got on the radio screaming orders to every able body that was still conscious. "All security agents report to the Eva cages now! I repeat, the intruder has been spotted near the Eva cages, apprehend him immediately!... And try to capture him alive I guess!"

Every security agent, lacking the death-wish that would come from defying an angry Commander Katsuragi, quickly mobilized and descended upon the Eva cages. They ran into little resistance as the lone intruder immediately surrendered, smirking all too smugly even in the face of a dozen military grad rifles pointed in his direction.

"No need for the theatrics boys... I'm prepared to come along peacefully..."

"We have the intruder in custody commander," radioed in one of NERV's security officers barely a minute after Misato's order had been issued. Kaji's quick apprehension would've been a glowing testament to NERV's top notch security detail, if not for the humiliating fact that this man managed to slip into the Geofront and set off several small explosive devices in the first place.

"Commander?" Tanaka asked, not needing to voice the rest of his question. Like any good second, he could practically read his superiors mind.

Misato nodded in approval. "Take him straight to the interrogation room, and get what you can out of him… I'll be joining you shortly… I'll be questioning this intruder personally!"

* * *

Ryoji Kaji whistled indifferently, staring at his handcuffs almost as if he thought if he gazed at them seductively enough, they'd slip right off his wrists. He was not acting like a man who'd somehow managed to infiltrate one of the most highly secure and most powerful organizations in the world. Despite Sub-Commander Tanaka's emotionless gaze directed at his prisoner from across the table, Kaji could tell that his aloof attitude was getting under the straight-laced soldiers skin. It was just a part of his game though, another card in his deck.

"Sir, I would highly advise you stop with the games. Acting ignorant of the severity of your situation is not going to help your case…"

"Honestly sir, I have no idea where here even is… I just fell down a hole, and the next thing I know, I'm in some top-secret military base at the same time as a bunch of bombs start going off. Talk about poor timing."

Tanaka sighed inwardly, but refused to outwardly show to this indignant man that he was trying his patience. "I'll ask you one last time to drop the act... We know who you are Ryoji Kaji… The two of us may have never worked together, but I'm well aware of who you are, and your history. I must say, you look well for a man who just dug himself out of his own grave."

"Sorry, but you have the wrong man sir… I don't know who this Ryoji Kaji person is, but I've never…"

The bullshit suddenly stopped as the door opened, and the Supreme Commander of NERV walked into the interrogation room. She glared only briefly at the prisoner, already wanting to shoot that smug grin right off his face, before addressing her second. "Tanaka, I would like to speak with the prisoner alone if you don't mind…"

"Is it wise for you to be in this room alone with him? You should at least have a guard…" the man fell silent as his superior waved him off.

"Don't concern yourself with my safety. I know how to handle this man… Watch through the two-way, and have the guards on standby. If he tries anything, lethal force isn't merely authorized, it's highly encouraged."

Even the stoic Tanaka smirked at her crack. He saluted his Commander after standing up, and exited the room, effectively leaving a starving lion locked in a room with a piece of raw meat. Misato's agitation and anger only seemed to amuse Kaji all the more as she sat down across from him. Silence overtook her briefly before she finally managed to say… "Well then Ryoji… You don't look half bad for a dead man…"

"Oh come now Misato, I'm disappointed… After not seeing me for so long, I'd like to think you'd be able to come up with a better barb than that one."

Misato slammed her fist onto the table, right in-front of her prisoner, shutting him up instantly. Kaji wisely decided he should probably feel his former lover out first before he started pushing buttons. "Drop it! We'll discuss how you came back from the frickin' dead later! Frankly, I don't even care right now! What I want to know is why you're here, and why the hell you would risk exposing yourself after playing dead all this time only to let us capture you as easily as we did! None of this makes sense! Why are you here?! Who are you working for?!"

"For a friend, to right a wrong, and no one in particular," Kaji answered cryptically.

"Damn it Kaji!" Misato growled, but paused as she tried to line up his answers with what she had said until she got frustrated and returned to being unnaturally pissed off at the man she was interrogating. "I'm not playing your games! Tell me what I need to know instead of wasting NERV's time and resources!"

"Oh, I wouldn't dream of it. With all the Angel attacks recently, you folks must be stretched to the point of bankruptcy… I know those solitaire programs have gotten pricey since 3rd impact."

The grinding of Misato's teeth nearly produced sparks, as she struggled not to slug the smug bastard. "Damn you, why can't you ever take anything seriously?! You're not stupid Kaji… You illegally entered the facility of an international science and military organization and set off explosive devices inside, you had to know the consequences of that! At best, the UN will throw you in prison for the rest of your life, or at worst execute you as a terrorist! What could you possibly be gaining from this little stunt?! How is it worth it to you to even put yourself in this situation, let alone allow yourself to be captured?"

"You might be surprised Misato…" Kaji replied with a subdued smile. "You might find that what's important to me are the same things that are important to you…"

Misato glared at the compromised spy indignantly. "I highly doubt that… But whatever it is that's important to you Kaji, I hope it was worth it… There's no way out of this situation for you. There's no Gendo Ikari, SEELE, or even the JSSDF lurking in the shadows and pulling strings to get you in the position they need you in… Unless there's some other shadowy group you're in bed with nowadays that's behind this attack… Care to share that information?"

"Perhaps I wasn't clear enough the first time my dear… I'm in business for myself these days… No secret agendas or anyone pulling my strings."

"I really hoped you weren't going to make this difficult, but I guess I knew better…" Misato huffed, but then smirked fiendishly. Or at least she attempted to look fiendish, forcing Kaji to smirk at how absolutely adorable she looked. "Fine then, we'll play it your way. We can sit here and wait it out as long as it takes to get the answers we need out of you."

"Excellent! It'll give us time to catch up after so much time apart, but you didn't have to go to such lengths to get me alone. You are in charge now after all, so there really wasn't anything stopping you from paying a late night visit to my cell, or you could've simply left the door unlocked from where I could've crept my way down to your office for a little…"

Kaji should've remembered his previous decision not to push Misato's buttons so early on, though the heel of Misato's shoe slamming against his jaw did jog his memory. Massaging his now throbbing face, he threw a look of mock hurt in his ex-lover's direction as her magma levels were reaching critical mass. "Stop changing the subject you incorrigible jackass! I'm going to ask you one more time before I strangle you, what was your motive?! What good could this attack possibly have served you?!"

Kaji seemed to ponder his response momentarily, and Misato fully expected to receive another vague answer that could be interpreted in twenty different ways. "You really want to know? I guess I do owe you that much. Maybe this was just my rebellious stance against an origination that epitomizes big government, or this case big world government, run amuck. Perhaps I'm a zombie back from the dead who just happened to keep all his mental and physical faculties, but now I crave the brains of Evangelion units… Or perhaps all these years of spying, lying, and manipulating people have finally driven me insane… Then again maybe…"

Kaji didn't get to finish that thought as the door to the interrogation room flew open. The Sub-Commander was on the other side looking as frantic as Misato had ever seen her unshakable second. "Commander, we have an emergency situation!"

"What?! Is it another attack?!" she turned to Kaji. "I knew you weren't stupid enough to try this alone! Is this your backup plan?!"

"That is not the case, the Geofront is secure Commander…" Tanaka paused, not relishing being the one to have to give the Commander this news. The responsibility fell to him when it became apparent that nobody else in that complex was crazy enough to get within a hundred feet of the commander when this particular piece of news was delivered. "It concerns the Third Child… He has escaped from his holding cell, and his whereabouts are currently unaccounted for…"

"WHAT?! There are half a dozen guards patrolling that area! Are you telling me he strolled out the front door and nobody noticed?!"

"Normally yes, there are six guards posted near Ikari's cell, however, when the bombs were set off, leading us to believe the Geofront was under attack, most of those guards were deployed to other areas near the explosion sites. The one guard that remained behind was incapacitated by a stun-gun, allowing the Third Child to escape unmolested through the ventilation shaft near his prison cell."

"But how did he get out of his cell?!" Misato asked, now growing more concerned than she was angry. "Surely the guards weren't stupid enough to leave the door unlocked… So that means somebody must have helped him escape…"

Tanaka nodded the affirmative. "Video surveillance shows that the Second Child is the one who aided the Third in his escape…"

"Great… This day just keeps getting better," Misato mocked laughed, grabbing at her forehead. "How long ago did this happen?"

Tanaka was uncharacteristically hesitant with his answer. "Shortly after the first explosion…"

"That was over two hours ago! You're telling me no one noticed he was gone until now?!"

"My apologizes sir, this is my fault… I'm in charge of security, and we failed miserably in this instance. We were so consumed with the attack and the processing of the prisoner after he was apprehended, that it allowed the children to take full advantage. They likely could've walked right out the back door without anyone even noticing."

"It's not your fault… You acted accordingly...For all we knew, the entire complex was going to come crashing down on top of us… We have no time to lose though! We need to mobilize every Section 2 agent available and start searching for those two immediately! They've worked for NERV long enough to have found a way out of the Geofront quickly and are now headed for God knows where… They have a big head start, and we need to catch up!"

"I already have the men mobilized and ready."

"Good, now order them to get their asses moving! Of all the rotten damn luck… How the hell did Asuka manage to time her little escape attempt to coincide perfectly with this idiot's antics… It's almost as if she knew…" The Commander went dead silent as she and her second stared at one another, dual looks of realization.

White as a ghost, Misato turned around to face Ryoji Kaji. The man simply shrugged his shoulders. "Now that I think about it... I guess there is a chance I was simply trying to stall you…"

At a speed that even briefly rattled Kaji, Misato had practically jumped through the table separating them in order to yank Kaji up to his feet by the scruff of his neck. Kaji quickly composed himself, and smirked back at the death promising glare burning in his former lover's eyes. It wasn't that he was amused that she was this upset, nor was he trying to taunt her. This was simply his default reaction whenever he managed to so perfectly predict Misato's every action and reaction. It was close to frightening how well he knew this woman "You bastard! This was your plan wasn't it?! You distracted us by making us think we were under attack, but what you were really doing was buying time for Shinji to escape!"

"That's a fascinating theory. I'm flattered you'd think I was that cunning, but I assure you…" The sound of Misato's pistol cocking sucked up what little humor in the room that was left. Even Kaji didn't have a snappy comeback for when the barrel of a gun was pointed directly at his face. "Oh dear…"

"Commander!" Tanaka intervened. "Please step away from the prisoner! You're clearly not thinking clearly in your emotional state, so please allow me to finish the interrogation. I'll get him to tell me where the children are."

"Back off Toushiro, and that's an order! I'm handling this…" Misato snarled, never taking her eyes off of Kaji, who suddenly was no longer smiling. "No more games Ryoji… One more bad joke or put on by you, and I swear on my father's grave that I'll put a bullet right between your eyes! Now tell me! Where are my kids?!"

Kaji managed to rediscover his smile, though it was one of submission and much more subdued. Sure, messing with the Commander had been fun, but those kids had to be long gone by now. No further need to drag this process out. "I don't have the foggiest clue honestly. I made it clear to Asuka that once she got Shinji out of his cell, then the two of them were on their own from there. I knew I'd be in NERV custody by then, and there would be little else I could do to help them. Besides, not knowing where they're headed from here was the best way to keep them safe, as I wouldn't be able to reveal their location if, no pun intended, you folks held a gun to my head."

Misato trembled slightly at hearing Kaji confess he was part of Shinji's escape, and the obvious mastermind. She had no reason not to believe Kaji was telling the truth about being ignorant to where the kids were headed. Keeping one's self in the dark to avoid divulging sensitive information was spying 101, and Kaji was a master who methodically kept all his bases covered. "Why Kaji? Why did you help Shinji escape?! Why did you involve Asuka?! They're both technically fugitives now! What do you possibly have to gain from all this?!"

"You want answers… I'll tell you, but first thing's first… Get this gun out of my face, we both know you're not going to shoot me."

With a growl, Misato lowered her weapon and shoved it back into its holster. She sat down and motioned for Kaji to do the same. He complied, a serious look now on his face. The time for feeling out and playful banter was done. He briefly shot a look up at the Sub-Commander as if to ask is he was going to be on his way before they began their little talk. "He stays. He's my Second, and the head of security for this complex and all its employees. Whatever you have to say directly affects him."

"I take no issue with that at all… I'm sure he'll find what I have to say just as interesting as you will."

"We'll see about that, now spill it! What did you possibly have to gain by helping Shinji escape?"

"Absolutely nothing," he answered honestly. Misato looked ready to argue, until Kaji decided to elaborate. "I've blown my cover, given up my freedom, and will probably be labeled a traitor by my employers who strictly forbade me to do this very thing. So the answer to that question is nothing, except for the peace of mind in knowing I did the right thing."

"The right thing!" Misato scoffed. "How can anything you've done here today be considered the right thing?!"

"In my mind it is… I couldn't stand the thought of seeing an innocent kid locked up because his superiors can't see that one of their top officer's is a SEELE spy."

"Impossible!" Tanaka was quick to argue. "Every last NERV employee is rigorously screened, and their backgrounds tripled checked and then checked again. I should know, I supervise the checks myself. These are new times at NERV compared to what you were used too Mr. Kaji. People like you don't slip through the cracks anymore."

"I'm not trying to say that your organization doesn't do a bang up job weeding out potential threats. You are a smart man though, so you'll have to agree with this… It has been said that once you reach a point when you feel you have everything figured out, in most cases this ends up being your first mistake."

"What is your point Kaji? And what does you alleging NERV has a spy in our ranks have anything to do with breaking Shinji out of his holding cell?" Misato demanded, and yes intentionally avoided referring to Shinji's incarceration as prison.

"My point is that, regardless of all your precautions, one bad seed did slip through the cracks in your security and landed a very cushy job mind you. I'm not criticizing your security efforts either Mr. Tanaka, this person does have a remarkable cover."

"We'll talk about your alleged spy later! First thing is first! What does this spy have anything to do with Shinji?!"

"Nothing Misato…" Kaji replied slowly, but then thought about his answer and amended accordingly. "Well not directly… My reasons for orchestrating Shinji's escape were personal… Mainly, because it was largely my fault he wound up in that position in the first place."

"How was what happened to Shinji your fault?" Misato asked, shivering as she considered any number of possibilities. Each possibility seemed worse than the last.

Kaji hesitated briefly… Then he dropped the bomb right over top of Misato's head. "Because I'm the one who leaked the information to him about the virus that caused the Evangelion to go berserk…" Kaji assumed the clanking sound he heard was Misato's jaw hitting the floor. "This drove Shinji to make the decision he made to take the figurative bullet for Asuka, and well… You're well aware of what's happened since then."

"How did…" Misato chocked on her words, feeling oddly violated as the Commander of NERV. She was by no means naïve enough to think outside eyes and ears wouldn't try to get all up in NERV's business but… The incident with Unit 2 and what caused it… This wasn't exactly information posted on NERV's Facebook account. NERV's science department had only officially declared the foreign substance found inside Unit 2 a virus a little more than 48 hours before, which was also when Misato had officially labeled the incident as an act of sabotage. The very idea that Kaji had this information well in time to warn Shinji about it meant Kaji was well aware of this sensitive subject long before NERV had an inkling of what was going on. Both the Commander and her second found this revelation highly disturbing. "Who the hell are you working for?! How long have you been spying on us Kaji?!"

"It might help if I start from the beginning…" Kaji gathered himself, and reached for his pocket, thought better of it, and only then did he make a request to his captors. "Do you two mind if I have a smoke?"

Misato and Tanaka looked at one another to see if the other had any objections. Deciding there were none as long as they gathered the information they required, Misato nodded her head thus giving him her permission. Kaji quickly lit up like an old pro, and though it was previously believed to be impossible, Kaji elevated to an entirely new level of relaxed as he leaned back in his chair. "That certainly takes the edge off… Now, you asked about my employers… I have a working relationship with the JSDU… Don't get jumpy now. As far as I know, they're not in the practice of spying on you, normally. I was recruited by the JSDU shortly after returning from 3rd Impact. My primary function is to help hunt down and eliminate all reaming members of the organization known as SEELE. Our investigations led us to believe a NERV senior employee might have ties or may even be openly working with SEELE, so the JSDU has been keeping a close eye on NERV recently. Since I was already familiar with the complex and much of its staff, I was assigned to keep tabs on the suspect inside of NERV. It wasn't long ago that we discovered SEELE had managed to manufacture some sort of virus from the remains of an Angel, though I can't in my wildest dreams begin to understand how they pulled that off."

"So, the JSDU did have this information before Unit 2 was infected?" the Commander of NERV stated more than asked, wondering somewhat why she didn't feel more enraged or surprised than she was. She chalked it up to her training and her experiences leading up to Third Impact and beyond. When you're turned into goo by the combined efforts of a bunch of old farts trying to play God and a sociopath with an unhealthy attachment to his dead wife, it's hard to be surprised by anything anyone does. "Despite the differences of our two organizations, a friendly warning might've been warranted!"

"Believe me, I called in every favor and connection I had in hopes of getting my superiors to do just that, but I got nowhere. While we had strong suspicions, we didn't have enough solid evidence to prove conclusively that the virus even existed or that my target had any association with SEELE. The JSDU brass wasn't about to go and accuse one of your central players of working for SEELE, when that meant they'd have to admit that they've been spying on you, without damn good evidence to justify both."

Misato nodded, finding Kaji's answer plausible but still noticeably lacking something. "I'm assuming the JSDU changed their minds at some point since you decided to free Shinji, for reasons that are still managing to escape me…"

Kaji took another drag of his smoke, and then shook his head. "I'm afraid the JSDU is still blissfully ignorant concerning how wrong their assessment of the evidence was… I for one never doubted for a second my hunches were correct. As the JSDU refused to move, I decided to go out on my own and do a little freelance spying if you will. Especially once SEELE's true motives became apparent to me." Neither NERV officer said a word, and just patiently waited for Kaji to continue. The captured spy snuffed out his cigarette and gave them what they wanted. "You see, it's not that SEELE has given up the idea, but Instrumentality is no longer their top priority. With most of their members now dead or in prison, they no longer have the influence or resources they used to fall back on… Primarily, they no longer have Gendo Ikari or the Eva Series in their back pockets. This doesn't mean they can't make a nuisance of themselves. Their primary focus as we speak, is to exact revenge on those who foiled their plans. Specifically speaking, the Evangelion's and of course the kids who pilot them."

Kaji almost felt sympathy for the table he was seated at, as he could almost feel Misato's nails digging into the wood. She said nothing, and continued to focus her intense and threatening gaze in his direction. "Once it became apparent to me who SEELE's sleeper agent was, it didn't take long to put two and two together. I briefly toggled with the idea of revealing myself, but instead I decided to get help from the inside… I couldn't go to you for obvious reasons Commander, so that left me with two options I could turn to…"

"Shinji and Asuka," Misato answered for him, making no attempt to hide the disdain in her voice over his involvement of the kids. Kaji didn't blame her one bit for it as his decision disgusted even himself. Kaji simply nodded his head in acknowledgment. He lit up another cigarette and took a puff before continuing.

"Regretful, but I had little choice. They were the only people involved with NERV that I felt I could trust who also had the type of access I needed to try and pull off the impossible. I ultimately decided on Shinji because… Well, he's more predictable, and I had little doubt he'd do anything in his power to protect his fellow pilots when he found out they were in danger."

"So basically, what you're saying is that you recruited Pilot Ikari to help you spy on NERV operations?" Tanaka asked, sounding skeptical. Ikari was a valued asset to NERV as a pilot, but wasn't privy to any inside or secret knowledge regarding NERV's everyday operations and secret projects, nor did he have any way to gather that information really. His use as an inside man to a master spy would be limited to non-existent at best if not just downright pointless.

"Shinji a spy? My goodness no, not at all, so I really don't see the need to court-marshal the kid for treason or anything… The boy only had one job, and that was to try to get that sync test, the one that ignited this whole mess, canceled. We were hoping to at least get the test rescheduled as to buy me more time to gather the evidence needed to root out the SEELE spy, or at least give NERV time to notice something was off with Unit 2, as we strongly believed Asuka would be the primary target of the initial attack. As we feared though, Shinji was unable to get the test postponed. Not surprising really, it was a long shot to expect a seventeen-year-old boy to talk grown adults with fancy titles out of playing with their expensive toys. That boy though, he was determined to protect Asuka, so he fell on the sword for her instead. Say what you want about me Commander. Hate me for the things I've done throughout my past, but I wasn't about to let that boy rot for trying to help me and his friends while I continued to hide in the shadows. I guess I just don't have it in me to turn my back on someone who's done so much for me and others just because they've suddenly become an inconvenience to me. Have I answered your question thoroughly enough now Commander?"

Misato continued to glare at her prisoner, and it only intensified. She picked up the tone of Kaji's words, accusatory and almost condescending even. Kaji glared back at her almost daring her to respond… Oh did Misato Katsuragi ever respond. "How damn dare you sit there and try to talk like some kind of Martyr because you finally decided to try and fix one in a long line of fuckups! You talk like I chained Shinji to the wall and threw away the key, forcing the mighty Ryoji Kaji to come to rescue! Do you think any of this has been easy for me?! I even considered resigning after Reniot handed me her report… Hell, half the reason I didn't was out of worry of what would happen to Shinji if I wasn't around too… Damn, you… I had to lock Shinji up to protect him, not because I suddenly saw him as some kind of monster that needed to be put in a cage! Do you realize how many powerful people there are out there who would want Shinji's head if they found out what happened?! Don't you dare accuse me of turning my back on him! I never have, and I never will!"

Misato was on the verge of tears at this point, but instead mustered all her will, and managed to hold those emotions in check. Kaji lowered his head, obscuring his mouth with his hand. "I wasn't so much pointing the finger at you personally Commander, but rather I was referring to NERV as a whole, so I do apologize if you took it that way. There's been such a quick rush to judge Shinji though, especially with everyone overacting to information that isn't worth the paper it was forged on. It's all an elaborate fantasy courtesy of SEELE."

"There you go again," Tanaka interjected. "Spouting off conjecture and making accusations of a rouge agent that doesn't exist. You yourself admitted you weren't able to gather enough evidence to prove your 'hunch' was correct."

"That is an incorrect assumption sir. I said I didn't have the evidence back when I first contacted Shinji… That doesn't mean I don't have proof as of now…"

Tanaka's mouth opened to retort, only for Misato to silence him by holding out her arm. Misato didn't want to seem too eager, but still… If Kaji had any information at all that would exonerate Shinji she was damn sure going to listen. "Alright, we'll listen to your theory, but you better have damn good evidence if you're going to through any accusations around!"

Kaji's smirk broadened, tickled pink over the challenge. "Let me begin by asking the two of you a question. Have you noticed Shinji acting odd at all? Any changes to his personality? Any sign at all of this supposed Angel contamination?"

"No," Misato answered honestly. "Believe me, that's a question I've posed at least a dozen times myself, but Dr. Reniot insists he shows signs of borderline pattern blue and mental contamination…"

"Oh, I'm sure she did… I'm also certain she's highly qualified considering the position she holds in the organization. She could be as qualified as Gendo was indifferent to human life, but that still doesn't change the fact that she's had zero experience studying or examining an actual Angel. How is it possible she could even determine if Shinji received mental contamination from the virus? Come to think of it, what the hell is borderline pattern blue? That's a new one on me. It would appear that you were awfully quick to accept the word of someone who was essentially a rookie concerning the subject matter she was dealing with."

"Dr. Reniot knows what she's doing Kaji… She studied the work of both Dr. Akagi's, so she's as familiar with the subject matter she's dealing with as much as anybody on earth is. For me, she's more than qualified enough to take her at her word when she came up with the results she did… Regardless if liked those results or not…"

"Fair enough, but let me ask you one more thing. Did you see the paperwork? I'm assuming the evidence has been painstakingly reviewed and then gone over again. Angel contamination isn't an accusation that's tossed around lightly around here, I would imagine."

"I've seen the reports Kaji. If Dr. Reniot hadn't been able to provide viable information, I would've dismissed her diagnosis outright."

"I have no doubt, but did you understand what you were reading Misato? You're a solider, not a scientist or a doctor."

"I know enough to know what pattern blue looks like Kaji…" Misato paused, as if a thought or perhaps even a doubt suddenly crept into her mind. Either way, as she was still unsure what Kaji's angle was, she didn't voice what she was thinking.

"As does basically everyone that works at NERV with a college education. I bet the good doctor was thoughtful enough to guide your attention to her fancy charts and graphs and didn't bother you with the minor details of what I'm certain was a massive scientific and medical report on such a valued member of your fine organization." Kaji paused, but Misato continued to say nothing. He could almost see the little hamster running himself to death inside the Commander's skull, and that made Kaji confident she was taking what he had to say seriously. "What about the other members of the medical team that worked with Reniot during the examination? I'm sure you questioned them extensively about their observations."

Misato again didn't answer, and Kaji wasn't sure if she'd even heard the later question. Tanaka sensed this and responded for his Commander. "There were no other medical staff members to question. Dr. Reniot insisted on working alone due to the sensitivity of the…"

The Sub-Commander's gaze immediately met with the Commanders for what Kaji inwardly christened the 'Ah-Ha' moment. Looking back in his direction, as stern as ever, but at least Misato now appeared more receptive to the information Kaji was trying to share with her. "Alright, it's obvious now who you're accusing of being the SEELE spy, but that doesn't change the fact that you're going to need damn good evidence to prove that to us."

"So its evidence you want? I have that, and I also have a theory if you'd like to hear it."

"No, I wouldn't. Now show us your evidence, or stop wasting our time."

"Well how about I start with this… Are you familiar with Dr. Reniot's father, the wealthy construction magnate François Reniot? Who also happens to be one of the few surviving members of the SEELE council?" Both Misato and her second looked floored by this revelation, but again they seemed to reach a wordless agreement that this information wouldn't be enough to make a case for espionage. "Now, let's take into consideration how closely she works with the Eva Units, and that she's one of a handful of people with the know-how to inject a virus into an Evangelion while circumventing NERV's tight security."

"Just because she had the ability to inject the virus into Unit 2 isn't proof that she did!"

"Why focus on Unit 2?" Tanaka added. "If SEELE's goal, if they even still exist, is to eliminate the pilots, why not attack all three Evangelions simultaneously? Now that we're aware of the virus and have had time to study its application and effects, it makes a second attack of the same nature virtually impossible. Now that I think about it, why did they choose to infect Unit 2? The sync ratio of the second child ever since the incident with the 15th has been modest at best. If an Angel attacked tomorrow, it's more than likely we wouldn't even be able to deploy her. Why focus their attack on an Evangelion that is essentially a lame duck?"

"All good questions." Kaji took a puff of his smoke. "From what I've gathered, the process in refining the virus is painstaking and SELEE was only able to develop one batch that was strong enough to take down an Eva. In my opinion, SEELE focused on Unit 2, because they considered Asuka the easiest target, an opinion they largely based on her encounter with the 15th…" Kaji smirked ever so slightly. "I doubt Dr. Reniot considered Shinji would take Asuka's place during the test, or that he would come out of the entry plug unscathed. I think she panicked and fabricated the Angel contamination story to cover her tracks. That way, SEELE still extracts some level of revenge on Shinji and NERV by having one of its pilots locked up under suspicion of being the very thing NERV was created to destroy."

"I'll admit… You're theory is screenplay worthy Kaji, but without proof it's just another wild story," Misato sighed, truly growing weary of Kaji's games. "You've got about thirty seconds to provide some solid proof. Otherwise, we have a cozy holding cell waiting that I'm really looking forward to giving you a tour of."

"You want hard evidence…" Kaji reached into his jacket, but then thought better of it though maintained his controlled smirk. "Would a video of said subject, including audio, featuring the doctor speaking with a known SEELE agent that supplied her with the virus qualify as concrete evidence?"

The Commander and her second glared at Kaji as if they though he was joking at first, and once it was clear he was certainly 'not' joking Misato's head nearly hit the roof. "You have a damn video?! Why the hell didn't you mention that in the first place?!"

"Because I would've missed out on his lovely conversation we've been having. Besides Misato, you're just so damn gorgeous when you get all red and bothered like this."

Misato's response was a backhand to Kaji's smug face, and an angry retort. "Cut the crap, and hand over the video?!"

"Oh Commander you disappointed me," Kaji smirked as if Misato didn't just smack the crap out of him, yet the big red welt on his face hinted this was likely an act. "You know how this game works, and I'm certainly not going to hand over my trump card without negotiating something in return first."

"Oh, I would've never put that beneath you, not in a million years… Figures though, you claiming you caused this entire mess because you wanted to help Shinji, yet here you have a chance to clear his name, but instead you use him like some sort of collateral for a bad bet you made!" Misato huffed then plopped back down in her chair. "Fine then, what is it that you want?"

"My freedom of course… And maybe coffee on Tuesday morning?" Kaji received another smack across the chops.

"Hell no, you diluted ego-maniac!"

"Good grief woman, a simple no would've sufficed! Surely my freedom is a small price to pay for exonerating Shinji is it not?"

"Not that idiot! The coffee, the coffee! Damn you, you smug bastard!"

"Commander, I don't feel it would be wise to barter with him," Tanaka advised, sensing his boss was leaning towards negotiating with this smarmy little man. "He hasn't shown us one shred of evidence that any of his claims are anything more than his suspicions… Let's not forget, he also infiltrated our facility and successfully detonate several explosives in the middle of one of the most secure locations on the planet. He's clearly a dangerous man, and it's likely in the best interest of everyone for him to be rotting in a cell somewhere."

"I couldn't agree more, but I'm going to leave all options on the table until he presents his evidence. As dangerous as Agent Kaji can be, I think it's more important to catch the snake in our own den, wouldn't you agree Major?" Of course what Misato didn't tell him was that she'd more than happily use NERV's expense account to buy the asshole an island in the Caribbean and a personal jet to fly him there if it meant clearing Shinji of the tag Dr. Reniot had stamped next to his name.

Tanaka thought it over all of two seconds before nodding in agreement. Kaji's smirk broadened ever so slightly, though only to the trained eye that knew Kaji well. "Fine then Kaji… We'll grant you your freedom in exchange for any information you might have on this supposed spy… But only if the information proves to be accurate, and leads to the arrest of the offending party. Anything less and you'll be spending the foreseeable future in a NERV holding cell while the UN decides what to do with you."

Kaji had nothing to fear, and made that abundantly clear in his body language. "What I have to show you will leave no doubt in either of your minds that I'm right… We will, of course, need to relocate to somewhere where we can play the disk."

"You better pray this is worth my time…." Misato stood up and looked towards her second. "Tanaka, would you please escort the prisoner to my office?"

"Of course Commander," he said obediently and with a hint of pleasure in his voice. He pulled his gun from his holster and aimed the barrel towards his captive. "To your feet prisoner."

Finding the barrel of yet another gun pointed at him, a chink finally formed in Kaji's armor of unflappability. "Is it truly necessary for him to escort me at gun point?"

"Of course it is. I'd escort your personally, but I can't promise I wouldn't accidentally shoot you in the back on the way to my office."

Rather than getting flustered, Kaji just smirked at what he assumed was a joke as he stood up. Misato's brief second or two of good humor was instantly destroyed by this, prompting Misato to hurry along with what resembled a death march to her office. Within five minutes of Kaji hitting play on that disk, two jaws had hit the floor, followed immediately by every Section 2 agent available rushing towards the office of Dr. Estelle Reniot.

* * *

The sky had never appeared so blue to Ryoji Kaji, nor had the air ever smelled so fresh. There had likely been nicer days than this one, however, this particular day couldn't have been more perfect for him as it was the first day in a long time he actually found himself able to appreciate how nice being alive actually was. He'd lived underground far too long, only rejoining the world when absolutely necessary. When your cover involves everyone you know thinking your buried six feet beneath the Earth, ensuring you're not seen or heard by anyone who can recognize you is an absolute must. When Kaji did have a rare chance to emerge from hiding, it was always in disguise, always looking over his shoulder, never being afforded the opportunity to enjoy the second chance Shinji had given all of them… He had to be, but now that he'd been exposed, being very much alive felt kind of liberating. How could it not, as he was standing there a midst the crowded streets of Tokyo 3, not caring one bit about who saw him? It had been three years since his alleged death, and he'd spent much longer than that dedicated to a cause that turned out to only be partially valid. Now that NERV was under legitimate management and SEELE was a shadow of its former self, his reasons behind playing dead were proving more and more obsolete with each passing day… And with every dead or arrested SEELE agent. Yes, it sure felt good to be alive, and even better to not have to pretend he wasn't. Yes, he was going to enjoy this moment… Though he was well aware this feeling would be short lived.

Kaji had barely made it half a mile from the Geofront when he abruptly stopped, and patiently waited as a black car rolled to a stop next to him. The vehicle was a car/limo hybrid suggesting the importance of the person inside yet also hinting the occupant wanted to avoid looking too conspicuous. Kaji smiled knowingly, as several men in suites emerged from the vehicle, two stepping onto the sidewalk to bookend him, and the other two hanging just outside the back passenger door. To the untrained eye they could almost be mistaken for Section 2 agents, but NERV was not their affiliation. They also didn't appear to be armed, but Kaji knew well they had their weapons at the ready if he tried to resist in any way. The man nearest the car spoke for the occupants inside. "Ryoji Kaji, please enter the vehicle. The General would like to speak with you."

Kaji nodded, deciding it was a good sign that they weren't ordering him into the vehicle at gunpoint. Kaji entered the vehicle and took a seat across from a man dressed in full military garb. He was a good twenty years Kaji's senior, and the smirk on his face hinted at familiarity with the young man seated across from him… And showing no hint that Kaji had completely embarrassed him and violated his trust. The General waited until the car was in motion before addressing his subordinate. "I heard you caused quite the ruckus at the NERV facility this morning… You must've given them one hell of a story to get them to release you so quickly, or at all for that matter."

The General's tone hinted that he didn't believe in the slightest that Kaji's silver tongue alone had wiggled him out of… Whatever the hell he was doing in the Geofront that morning. The General could only imagine what information Kaji had been harboring in order to negotiate his freedom. "You know me General… I'm nothing if not prepared for every contingency."

"Yes, I'm well aware, as it's one of the many reasons I brought you aboard… And now that decision is looking like a catastrophic oversight on my part. You do realize that the bureaucrats at the head of the JSDU are going to want both of our heads if they ever catch wind of what you've been up to? You're my best agent, and someone I've held in high confidence, so please Ryoji… Please have a damn good explanation as to why you disobeyed direct orders and betrayed your country?"

"With all due respect, I take offense to that sir… I did disobey orders and protocol, quite a few of both actually… I have never betrayed my country. I've spent much of my youth and sacrificed every personal relationship I've ever had in the name of national security. Hell, I've pretended to be a corpse for nearly three years now, spying on people that once considered me a colleague and some even a friend. I had to draw the line when it came to the well-being of those kids though… Perhaps I just feel kindred to them because they've given most of their youth and even their lives, all in the name of protecting the rest of us from otherworldly forces we still can only begin to comprehend. In the end, it was those kids that saved us all, the reason any of us are still here, and the reason we can sit here and have this conversation right now. What have they gotten for everything they've sacrificed? Father's who've discarded them, marked for death by the same government who we so blindly serve, and now they're the targets of old men with so much free time and money on their hands that thoughts of revenge are the only thing that motivates them to get out of bed in the morning. I knew what SEELE was planning, I couldn't prove it at the time, but I knew and I couldn't let those kids pay the price for our inaction… All because a couple of diplomats from Japan were afraid delegates from the UN would start flinging paper airplanes at them, or whatever the hell it is that pencil pushers do when they're pissed off at one another. I had to make a choice, and for once I'm afraid serving my country lost out."

"As noble as you're trying to make your actions sound, I'm afraid a few of those 'pencil pushers' are going to see things differently. You of course, are aware of how sensitive the issue of the JSDU's relationship with NERV is. Our relations were doomed to be tense due to the mistakes and oversights made by the predecessors of both our organizations. That's why we developed stringent rules when it comes to dealing with NERV. Of course we were always going to keep an eye on them, but openly spying without a valid reason was strictly forbidden. While I'm sure some will see your actions as justified, it's going to be hard to convince the suits in the UN and Parliament, who only care about fulfilling the agendas of their political parties and cratering to their supporters."

Kaji nodded his head coolly. "How exactly do you view my actions sir?"

The General scratched at his graying beard, having prepared for this question on the way to pick up his rouge agent. "To be honest, I have mixed feelings as will many. Professionally, I feel your actions were reckless and unforgivable, and my initial instincts tried to convince me that you need to be placed in chains and drug directly in front of the Prime Minister to suffer whatever punishment he sees fit. Personally, however, because I know you well and your past, and I know what kind of man you are… Quite honestly, I would hope I would have the same gumption as you id if I ever found myself in that position. In reality though, I'm somewhere on the fence. If anything I'm not so much as angry with what you did, as disappointed you were sloppy enough to get caught doing it."

"If it will help repair your opinion of me Sir, you might be pleased to know that being captured had nothing to do with sloppiness. Getting caught was just part of the plan…"

"Ryoji Kaji, sacrificing himself to save a couple of kids," the General huffed, though with only a slight hint of sarcasm. "That's quite heroic of you."

"Come now, I would think you'd be above patronizing me Sir," Kaji responded with his usual smile. "There's nothing heroic about what I've done… If I was a real hero, I would've done something about this weeks ago, and not have dragged the kid into it… There's nothing heroic about waiting to the last minute, and being forced to make a knee jerk decision with your back against the wall. If correcting poor judgment was heroic, we'd all be heroes then wouldn't we? My decisions put myself and Shinji Ikari in the positions we found ourselves in, and I simply decided the situation needed to be rectified."

Wearing a smile that most people not named Ryoji Kaji could decipher, the General reached for a bottle of water that was resting in the cup-holder closest to him, and took a drink. Kaji couldn't help but grin at the predictability of this man who he'd come to admire. One of the true good guys in a world with far too many Keel's, Gendo Ikari's, and single minded politicians strutting about while using and manipulating people for their own gains. General Saito Kiba was truly a man of the people, putting duty and country before all else, especially himself. One of the many reasons Kaji found he just couldn't turn down the job when the General offered it to him. Observant almost to a fault, Kaji had grown accustomed to the General's habits and mannerisms. He always took a long slow drink to clear his throat before delivering news that was either difficult to give or for the recipient to hear. A prime example of this was when the General had informed Kaji he'd be spying on NERV in hopes of flushing out the suspected SEELE agent on their payroll. Kaji had a good feeling he knew what his old mentor was about to drop on him, and he wouldn't expect anything less of him.

"It's a tough life we live isn't it Ryoji? Living in the shadows, and doing the job that we do basically at the expense of every other aspect of our lives. In a way, I kind of envy you and the decision you were able to make. Do you have any idea how often I would've loved to slip out on some random pointless meeting with some politician more concerned with his checkbook than the safety of the people he's sworn to serve, so I could catch my daughter's violin recital, or one of my son's soccer games? My kids were grown, off to college, and having kids of their own before I even realized my hair had turned gray. Now I have three grand-kids whose lives I'm all too often absent from. The memories I never got to have with my children will always be my biggest regret, but it was a sacrifice I was well aware I'd have to make when I entered this life. For most family men, slipping out of work an hour early or missing a meeting here and there isn't that big of a deal. If I miss a meeting or leave work early, I open the door for some maniac to blow up a city block somewhere that kills several hundred people. I always admired your detachment from your social life… No wife, no kids, no close friends, yet irresistibly charming with the ability to get along with just about everyone. If the Gods made a mold of the prototypical person to thrive if our lifestyle, you would've come from that mold Ryoji Kaji."

"There was a time in my life when I would've agreed with you sir… I'm afraid that your initial assessment of me was wrong though… I'm not quite as unattached as you thought."

"You've certainly proven that."

A long silence followed. With a grin, Kaji took a look out the window as Tokyo-3 flew by him. Freedom… True freedom would've been wonderful. No more SEELE, no NERV, no JSDU… A life not working for some secretive origination with a fancy acronym… The idea of that had never sounded more appealing in his mind, but he had his doubts that he was ever meant to enjoy that kind of life. "Is it safe to assume that I'm under arrest?"

"That's the logical conclusion." The General coughed lightly as he placed his water bottle back in the coaster. "But then, what about this world is logical anymore? Giant organic cyborgs, attacks by allegedly divine monsters, Instrumentality, shadowy organizations hell bent on reshaping the world in their own image… Logic packed its bags and skipped town around the time Second Impact blew this planet to hell and back."

"Do I understand you correctly here Sir?" Kaji asked of his superior inquisitively. "I've broken enough rules to be court-marshaled a dozen times over if you so desired to do so…Yet, you seem to be hinting that I may still have a chance to redeem myself?"

"Possibly, but unlikely… It all depends on how you answer my next question."

"I've got nothing to lose… What's do you want to know Sir?"

"As you mentioned before Agent Kaji, your greatest resource is your resourcefulness. While most agents are struggling to come up with Plan A, you're usually putting the finishing touches on Plan D, which in most cases is better than most agents Plan A. I find it hard to believe you were setting bombs off within NERV Central, knowing you'd be captured, without some kind of ace up your sleeve. The fact that you're sitting here talking to me now rather than rotting in one of their prison cells is all the proof I need to confirm that suspicion. The question is, what did you have to offer NERV that was valuable enough that they allowed a captured spy, who set off explosives in their HQ, walk free no more than three hours after they captured you?"

Kaji leaned back in his seat and smirked. "You know what they say… No sense in worrying about the enemy staring at you from across the street, until you've dealt with the enemy standing next to you."

"You smug bastard," he cracked, managing a smirk of his own. "You found the evidence to prove Reniot's connection to SEELE didn't you? You realize that handing the information over to your associates in the JSDU would've been far more efficient and far less illegal than what you pulled today."

"True, but I couldn't afford the time to stand around and wait as the wheels of bureaucracy spun in the mud. Shinji and the other pilots were all in danger as long as Reniot was allowed to continue her plans unchecked. I would've gladly followed standard protocol if I felt time was on my side, but that was a risk I just couldn't bring myself to take…"

"Hmm… So I take it that you have no regrets concerning the decisions that you've made?"

"None whatsoever sir," Kaji replied flatly.

"Even if that means you'll be spending the rest of your life inside a jail cell?"

"With all due respect Sir, all prison means to me is that I'll likely eat better, and have far less stress in my life. My life the past three years has been a prison of my own making… Being sent away to an actual penitentiary sounds almost like a resort vacation in comparison."

"I see," the General sighed. Even if he didn't agree with them, he had to respect Kaji for sticking to his principles. "I have just one last question then, one that will likely decide your fate. I'd like you to offer me up one good reason why I shouldn't have you thrown in jail and personally swallow the key?"

"Why, because of Dr. Reniot of course… She's all I really have to offer."

"That's not going to be good enough. Exposing her as a spy may have been beneficial to NERV, and while it does mean one less SEELE agent to concern ourselves with, I'm afraid that's not going to be enough to exonerate you of your crimes."

"I wouldn't be so sure of that. You may be underestimating her value to us."

Kiba raised an eyebrow, his interest peaked. "How so?"

"I've had a chance to study up on this woman for several months as I was investigating her. From what I can tell, she's not the typical SEELE agent we've come accustomed to dealing with. She doesn't strike me as diabolic or as 'committed' to the organization as the old men are. She strikes me as a kid who got sold a bill of goods by her father with delusions of the supposed paradise SEELE thinks it can create. The kind of agent SEELE was forced to turn too with their infrastructure so badly damaged. In other words, I find it hard to believe they had enough time to instill the 'good old boy' nature and code of silence that made SEELE so successful in the past. If we offer the misguided doctor a deal, and I don't think we're going to have to offer much, we can get the rat to lead us back to the nest… At the very least, lead us to her father. Once we have him, the possibilities are endless."

The General sat silently, his hands tented over his mouth as he considered Kaji's suggestion. If Kaji was nervous at all as to how Kiba would respond, then Ryoji certainly wasn't letting it show. More agonizing seconds went by before the General lowered his hands… And grinned.

At the end of night, General Kiba and the Commander of NERV, as well as her second, would all be uttering the same words in reference to Ryoji Kaji. Damn that bastard was good.

End of Chapter 14

 _Next chapter will focus more on Shinji and Asuka's escape... It's one your not going to want to miss. :)_


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Shinji remembered these old tunnels well. They were part of the same system they used to sneak into the Geofront that time the power went out. Still, he doubted Asuka tumbled around these old ducts as a hobby, and had his doubts that his red-headed savior knew preciously where she was headed. "You're positive you know where we're going Asuka? These ducts could lead us anywhere in the Geofront…"

"Of course I know where I'm going!" Asuka snapped defensively. "I'm seventeen and have a college degree! I'm pretty sure I can memorize an air-duct configuration on a blue-print!"

"You have a point…" Shinji still didn't sound convinced. "Still, how are we going to escape the Geofront? Even with Kaji's distraction, I think NERV is smart enough to station guards at all the obvious exits…"

"We thought of that of course stupid… Leave the details to your intellectual betters… If it will ease your troubled mind though, we're working our way towards a little known exit in an unfinished section of the Geofront. It's almost impossible to find from the outside unless you know to be looking for it. It's normally guarded of course, but it's not considered a vital or primary station so those guards likely would've been called away when explosions starting ripping through the Geofront… At least that's what we're hoping…"

"Okay…" Shinji went quiet as he followed Asuka's lead, blushing ever so faintly. "Um… Thank you Asuka… For all of this."

"You can worship me all you want after I get us out of here safely," Asuka barked, slightly red in the face herself. "Now keep quiet and let me think! If I lose my way, it'll be because of you and your constant babbling!"

Shinji complied, and before long Asuka had found the duct grate she'd been seeking. With a triumphant smile, she dislodged the grate with a pair of strong kicks. Asuka dropped to the ground below, followed by Shinji who, none too gracefully, landed on his arse. Asuka frowned down at him as he gingerly picked himself up. Asuka roughly guided Shinji to cover, as she surveyed the area. It was just as Kaji had explained, and she had envisioned. The section they were in was barely half built, construction having abruptly been halted Pre-Third Impact when Commander Ikari had been forced to make budget cuts, and deemed the proposed function for this sector unnecessary. Even when the new administration took over, NERV never bothered finishing the construction on this section, or even bothered to clean up the mess. Leave it to Misato to avoid housework at any coast. You could still see rocks and exposed earth jutting out from partially built walls.

As Asuka had hoped, there were no guards on duty, providing the teens an easy conduit for escape… If you considered a six foot tall and poorly maintained tunnel ready to collapse in on itself an easy escape route. It came as no surprise to Asuka that Shinji had to point out just how ominous their path to his freedom appeared, forcing Asuka to stop just short of telling Shinji to shut the fuck up by reintroducing her fist to his face. Fifteen, maybe twenty minutes passed before the kids could see sweet daylight pouring in from the cave's exit. Freedom was within just a few short steps for Shinji Ikari, when a tug at this wrist abruptly prevented his exit from the tunnel.

"Asuka? Is something wr…" Shinji got his answer, a fist directly to his gut. Shinji doubled over, catching himself with his knees. Asuka forced him back to his feet, and shoved him against the cave wall. Her wrist to his throat, Shinji just stared at the girl who had risked her life to save him in shock.

"You stupid asshole! Who the hell do you think you are test piloting my EVA?! Barricading me in your fucking bedroom to get access to my EVA to boot… Explain yourself!"

"What are you?!... Didn't Kaji explain what was going on? About SEELE and the virus?"

"Of course he did! I know every sorted little detail of your precious little partnership! What exactly were you thinking?! That I was too mentally fragile to handle testing *my* own Evangelion? You thought I needed the invincible Shinji Ikari to protect me?!"

"Yes!" Shinji blurted out without thinking. Her eyes went wide in response, but the anger quickly reignited. Shinji diverted his eyes and elaborated. "No I mean… What does it matter?! Yes, I dared to help the mighty Asuka Langley Soryu! We all know you'd rather die than accept anyone's help, regardless of how stupid that sounds! I couldn't help you when you got your mind rapped… I wasn't able to help you when the EVA Series tore you to pieces… I couldn't stand by and watch you go down again especially when I knew I could do something about it this time… So yeah, I tried to protect you! What of it?! You're welcome!"

Asuka showed her gratitude by slugging Shinji in the jaw. The boy dropped to the ground like one of Mike Tyson's opponents thirty seconds into a fight, the taste of blood in his mouth. Standing over him, Asuka looked ready to kill him, and Shinji was half convinced he should probably prepare himself for that likely possibility. Instead she glowered over him, cold and emotionless. "You don't understand anything… If you're expecting gratitude, then you're a bigger idiot than I ever thought! I guess I do owe you though, and that's the only reason I'm even here dragging your sorry ass out of NERV prison… This makes us even, so don't you dare expect anything else out of me!"

"Asuka, I learned a long time ago not to expect anything from you," Shinji panted, still on his knees. Asuka, snarled and headed towards daylight.

"Hurry up you idiot! Kaji will only be able to distract them for so long…"

Shinji hesitated momentarily before gingerly picking himself up and limping after her. He had wondered just what the hell they planned to do once they escaped the Geofront, but judging from Asuka's renewed hostilities towards him, he decided now wouldn't be the best time to ask so he followed her blindly. He struggled to keep up as Asuka marched uphill towards a busy road setting off Shinji's panic sensors. Curiously, she stopped at the side of the road, and almost immediately, a black car pulled into view and slowed to a stop where Asuka was standing. She opened the door, and then looked back at Shinji impatiently. "Well, hurry up Baka, or we're leaving without you!"

Gasping, Shinji raced to the car as if the driver would actually leave him behind. Hell, with the type of people he was dealing with, he could never truly know. The first several minutes of the drive passed in silent agony. Asuka, her hand resting under her chin, pressed up against the door and the window. She was either preparing herself to jump out the window the second the need arose, or she just wanted to get as far away from him as she possibly could. Shinji tried to convince himself he'd be content if they didn't say a word to each other, but Asuka's attitude towards him was driving him crazy, plus he really had no clue where they were headed or what they would do when they got there. He finally forced himself to ask her.

"Where are we going?"

"A safe house outside the city…" Asuka replied distantly, oddly enough not sounding angry… Just indifferent. "Brace yourself, the ride is going to be a long one… At least an hour."

"Okay…"

There were so many questions Shinji Ikari wanted to ask Asuka, so many things he wanted to say to her… None of them were voiced though as they rode quietly, eventually exiting the city limits of Tokyo 3 much to his relief. He had no clue as to the identity of the person driving them for the tinted window separating the front of the car from its rear. Shinji figured the driver probably wanted to keep his identity secret from them for his own protection. As the car continued to put miles of paved road between them and the city, Shinji grew more and more frustrated. Frustrated at Asuka's inability to be anything but hateful and hostile towards him… Angry at how she never hesitated to let him know how weak and pathetic she thought he was, and angry at himself for being unable to do anything to prove her wrong. Most of all though, he was angry at his own inability, at times like this, to say what needed to be said. To be a man and tell Asuka exactly what he was thinking, her reaction be damned. Something had to change and it had to change now… The moment they stepped foot outside the Geofront, he knew their lives were never going to be the same again. What was going to happen to them? What he was going to do now he didn't know… But damn it, she was all he had left, and the last thing he wanted was for his insecurities to allow her to get away from him.

The courage he so desperately needed did not materialize during the car ride. Shinji couldn't really decide if the trip flew by or took forever. Once the car had pulled up to an old farmhouse and came to a stop, they knew it was time to exit the vehicle. Asuka looked over at Shinji, scowled, and left the car with a huff. Confused yet again as to what he'd done wrong, Shinji jumped out of the car and chased after her. Neither teen really even noticed the car immediately drive off, the two kids never once laying eyes on or even hearing the voice of the driver.

"Asuka wait up! I need to talk to you about something!"

Asuka stopped near the front porch of the house, and glared back at her fellow pilot. "Oh, so now you have something to say?!"

She was referring to the long quiet car trip, but of course her meaning sailed completely over Shinji's head. "Well yeah… I just…"

Asuka seemed to lose interest and headed towards the house. She opened the door then shouted back at Shinji. "Come on idiot, you can ask me inside!"

The house was modest… Inconspicuous was actually a better term, just what you'd want out of a safe house when you're trying not to draw attention to yourself. The house had two floors, the standard living room and kitchen on the first floor, and three bedrooms at the top floor. Asuka immediately began searching around the living room, obviously looking for something in particular. Annoyed at her failure to find it in the sitting room, she headed for the kitchen. She found just what she was looking for, a pair of envelopes taped to the fridge. One was labeled the middle-child, and the other labeled the youngest child. Asuka quickly rationalized the labels on the envelope corresponded with their designations as Eva Pilots… Asuka being the Second Child thus being the middle of the active pilots. Shinji being the Third Child was the last of the active pilots to be recruited, thus he being the youngest child.

"Here, this is yours!" Asuka shoved the envelope into his chest. The boy eyed the envelope, briefly wondered about the name scribbled on it, and then looked back over at Asuka. He noticed Asuka stuff the envelope in her back pocket, at least for now, seeming disinterested in whatever might be inside. Shinji didn't doubt Asuka probably already knew what she was going to find inside. Asuka was far too intelligent to get involved with a crazy scheme like this and not have all her bases covered.

Asuka propped herself up against the counter next to the sink, and seemed to be impatiently waiting for something. She was finally forced to look Shinji's way and scowl. "Well, you said you had something you wanted to talk about didn't you?! I'm giving you five seconds to ask me whatever is on your mind, and I swear you better not bore me…"

"Well, it's just…" Shinji turned beet red, but still managed to find a tiny shred of courage. "What are we going to do? I'm pretty sure we just made ourselves fugitives. Neither one of us is going to be able to go back home, and lucky me will probably have all of NERV and half the UN hunting me down… Especially after Dr. Reniot's insistence that I'm some kind of Angel spawn..."

"I can always go back to Germany, seeing as NERV no longer has a presence there… The two sides didn't part on friendly terms either, so it's likely my homeland would refuse to extradite me to Japan just to spite them. As for you, you can find a hole to crawl into and rot for all I care."

"Really?..." Shinji felt himself tremble slightly. "You're really going to do this?"

"Do what?!" she huffed

"You know exactly what I'm talking about?!"

"I rarely ever understand any of the nonsense that comes out of your mouth! You're so meager minded, it would be like trying to analyze the thought patterns of an amoeba! If you've ever created an intelligent thought in that hollow shell resting atop your neck, you sure as hell have never shared it with me! You might as well stick to making grunting sounds or drooling since that makes about as much sense as whenever you try to use actual words!"

"This Asuka…" Shinji motioned towards the red-head with his hand and then back to him. "Why we're having this argument right now, is what I'm talking about! You just risked your freedom and even your life to rescue me, so you've pretty much thrown away any chance you might've had to at least try to live a normal life, and now you're going to act like the risk you took didn't mean anything?!"

"I explained this to you already baka! I only helped you because I didn't want to be indebted to you! It wasn't because I was having warm mushy feelings about you all of the sudden, so get that idea out of your puny head!"

"That won't be a problem because I never had that thought… I am confused though! The entire escape plan went off without a hitch. I figured you'd at least be bragging or holding it over my head, like I owed you my life or something… Instead, you've been nothing but pissy and angry towards me, and I'm having a hard time figuring out why that is!"

"What the hell is there for you to figure out?!" Asuka shoved her finger in his face, driving Shinji's back against the door of what he assumed was the pantry. "You hijacked my sync test, violated my Eva, and forced me into this situation where I'm basically throwing my life and my future away so you wouldn't rot in that cell! I'm not some helpless little girl who needs saving! Least of all from you! I'm the only person who should be handling my Eva! If I was the target then I should've been the one to face the risk! You pissed all over my pride, and who wouldn't be ticked off by that?!"

"You're the only person I can think of…" Shinji answered softly, turning his head away just a little. "I can't imagine anybody else getting this upset because someone cared about them enough to put their life on the line for them…."

"You pig-headed jackass!…" Asuka grabbed Shinji by the scruff of his shirt, and slammed his back against the pantry door. "Don't you dare try to make what you did sound like some kind of noble gesture from the selfless Shinji Ikari! Don't pretend like you did what you did for me! It was so you could be the big hero and satisfy your own self-image! You never thought of me for one dam second!"

Shinji wanted to retort, but his brain decided breathing was more important. Asuka's tight grip around his neckline was making it hard for him to catch a breath. "If you thought of me, you never would've put me through this!... What would've happened if that virus killed you?! Were you content to just curl up and die while I had to live on knowing you died protecting me? That would've made you happy wouldn't it?! Having your death on my conscious for the rest of my life, following me everywhere I go… Shinji Ikari has the last laugh, that's what this was right?!... Right?!"

Asuka released her grip on his shirt, but Shinji was too stunned to respond. Asuka turned her back to him. She was fighting tears back and did not want to give him the satisfaction of seeing the reaction he'd elicited from her. Shinji took a step forward cautiously… Asuka had her own unique way of saying it, but Shinji know understood why she had been so upset with him. Regardless of what she claimed, it obviously wasn't just her pride that had been hurt. "Asuka…"

"Don't say anything…" Asuka sniffed. Having successfully dried her eyes, she turned back to face the boy. "Your words don't carry any weight. If you recall, it wasn't that long ago when you told me you were done with me, so saying crap like you actually care about me can't be taken seriously…"

"You misunderstood me Asuka… I meant I was done trying to get you to care about me… I never said I was going to stop caring about you… I don't think I could manage that even if I tried… And it's not like I haven't tried to fight it, or even ignore what I was feeling… Lord knows you've done everything in your power to drive those feelings away, but no matter how badly you treated me or how miserable you made me, it seemed I could find a way to be content just by being near you…" Asuka had turned her back to him again at this point. There was no way she could let him see her now, though the fierce rubbing at her eyes with her forearm gave her away, as she tried desperately not be affected by what he was saying. "It's been that way ever since I heard you talk in your sleep during that week of forced synchronization, and I realized there was more to you than that angry spoiled girl that treated me like garbage. Maybe I didn't think things through entirely when I exposed myself to the virus inside your EVA, but I can guarantee you that being a hero was the last thing on my mind… The only thought I had was that, if I let you take that sync test and something happened to you, I just wouldn't have been able to live with myself…"

Shinji heard an odd grunt from Asuka in response, like she was trying to vomit, or perhaps something else?... Asuka rubbed at her eyes with her forearm one last time… "Damn allergies… Read your damn letter already! They're instructions from Kaji, but for the most part we're on our own from here. We can hide out here for a day or two at the maximum, but I wouldn't risk it for even that long. Whatever you're going to do, you better decide quickly because once this conversation ends, I never plan on seeing you again, understand?"

Asuka didn't wait for him to agree to that as she quickly disappeared out the back door. Shinji sighed sadly before looking down at his envelope. "Yeah, I guess I do…"

Shinji took a seat on the couch, and with a heavy heart, looked over Kaji's letter to him.

 _-To the Youngest Child_

 _I feel like I should begin by saying good-bye as it is unlikely we'll ever be able to see each other again. My summer home is yours to enjoy, but I must ask that you only stay for a night or two, as I'll resume renting the place out this weekend. Enclosed with this letter is a pin number. You had a healthy accumulation of cash from your work salary throughout the past several years. More than enough for a young man who needs to get away from it all to start fresh with some new scenery. I had an associate of mine extract the money from the account of your previous employer and had it wired to a bank in Switzerland before your bitter former bosses could put a freeze on your assets. I wish you the best of luck on your new journey._

 _PS: Take care of your young friend my boy, and be patient with her. I never thought I'd get to see the day when she'd grow to sincerely care about someone the way she has you. You might think me crazy for saying so, but take it from someone who's had the chance to watch her grow into the fine young women she's become. Whatever you do, wherever you decide to go from here, do not let her get away… If you do, this is something you'll truly regret for the rest of your life._

 _Sincerely;_

 _The Old Man_

"Why does everyone try to make it sound so easy…" Shinji sighed, allowing the letter to drop from his hand and land auspiciously between the couch cushions. Staring up at the ceiling, he began to think things over… Kaji's letter, what he wanted, what he'd been through the past 72 hours, what he stood to lose, and most of all… The recurring theme at the center of it all. That same person who made him hope, think, act, and fear more than anyone else he'd ever met in his life… "Maybe because it is that easy…"

* * *

It didn't take Shinji long to find who he was looking for. He hadn't expected it too, as he had a good feeling Asuka likely wanted to be found. She didn't bother to act angry or standoffish as he approached either, which further served to give her away. He smiled inwardly, wondering why Asuka couldn't just say what she wanted instead of using this game of hide-and-seek to voice it. But then, she wouldn't be Asuka if she did anything the easy way. Asuka stared off into the distance at the nearly full-moon, the only object in the sky not blotted out by the bright lights of the nearby city. Asuka said nothing as Shinji walked up and sat down next to her, a slight rolling of her eyes to the side being the only visible indication that she was aware of his presence. Shinji looked up at that same bright satellite as silence overtook them. As had become, and would continue to be, a trend in their relationship, Asuka had to break the ice… Or tension, or however the hell you wanted to classify it. She was the one who had to make sure they didn't sit there and literally stare off into space all night.

"Why did you follow me Third? Even you should've been able to take the hint that I never wanted to see you again, yet you still came after me…"

"Yeah…" Shinji countered. "Well, usually when someone storms off and doesn't want to be found, they usually don't park themselves within shouting distance of where they stormed off from." To emphasize his point, Shinji looked to his left where you could clearly make out the house they were hiding out at. "Besides… I know you didn't mean any of that… And I think I know you well enough by now to understand that you wanted me to come find you…"

"Well, isn't that awfully arrogant of you Third Child…" She tried to sound bitter but failed. "You're an idiot, you know that?"

"Yes, you only remind me a dozen times a day, and I'm probably underselling… I can't blame you though... When you consider the type of girl I'm attracted to, so it's hard to argue with that."

Not sure whether to be offended or laugh, Asuka settled for blushing. That blush erupted over her entire face and what the baka did next didn't help. He cautiously slipped his arm across the back of her shoulders, and pulled her closer to him, though not so close that she would get offended. Asuka immediately bristled as little bubbles of shock burst all across her body. It wasn't a bad sensation in the least. Asuka had no idea how the touch of this skinny little wimp made her feel the way it did, but the effect was undeniable. Her body responded to him in ways she'd at one time thought only Kaji could make her feel. It was a losing battle she was fighting, and for the life of her she couldn't even remember why she'd been fighting this feeling so hard. She couldn't just give in though, that just wasn't her style. Shinji was going to have to earn it if he intended to penetrate any deeper into her heart than he'd already managed. "Why Shinji?"

Understandably, Shinji was confused by the seemingly random question. "Why what?"

"Why me?! I've never treated you as an equal, hell I've barely treated you like a human being! Why don't you hate me?! I've given you every reason, hell that was largely by design… I've done nothing but try to make you feel miserable since we escaped the Geofront… Yet here you are with your arm around me… You came and found me just like I hoped you would, and I can't understand for the life of me why…" Asuka sobbed, tears now streaming from her eyes. Shinji had to strain in order to understand her gargled words. "Is it because I'm pretty? Or is it because of Eva? Is it just because I live with you, and we're the same age, so it's convenient?!"

Shinji shook his head while maintaining his grip on the girl. His boldness was a bit of a shock to both their systems. "None of those… I'll be honest, there was a time after we first started living together that I did hate you… Or at least the way you were and how you treated me. That was until I got to know you and started to understand the reasons for the way you are. In a lot of ways, you were like me… Not in personality or anything, but the way we were brought up. We share the same pain… The same wants and needs. We both lost our mothers at a young age, in traumatic ways, and losing them pretty much destroyed the rest of our childhoods. Our father's both abandoned us, and dumped us off on people who couldn't have cared less about us. We've both been either hurt or shunned by anyone we ever thought cared about us. You're the closest person in this world I know of that can fully understand what it is I've been through, and that drew me to you. Not so much because I thought you could help patch the holes in my heart, I never really thought that was possible, but I thought maybe in some way, I could help you… But you were so abrasive and would swat me away like a gnat whenever I tried to get close or even simply tried to get to know you. I admit, I didn't try nearly hard enough though… I was a wimp back then." Shinji finished with a small chuckle. Asuka couldn't help but grin.

"Is the Invincible Shinji Ikari suggesting that he's no longer a wimp?"

"That's debatable… Though not like I used to be. There's nothing like fighting giant monsters bent on the destruction of mankind to toughen a guy up…" Shinji's smile broadened. "Not to mention living under the same roof with a feisty red-head. I can definitely take a punch better than I used to."

Shinji paused as he heard Asuka snort. Covering her mouth to try and stifle her laugh, she was only moderately successful. She was still trying to feign some degree of illusion that she was still angry at him, but was quickly tiring of the act. Scratch that, the warmth resonating from the boy sitting next to her was melting that will away. Shinji's smile shrank and saddened as he continued. "You call me a coward and a wimp… Hell, everyone does, because it's true. I was both those things, and everyone at NERV just saw this as an obstacle as they were trying to bend and mold me into what they expected me to be. Not a one of them stopped to think and ask themselves why I was that way! My entire life, nobody has ever given a damn about me... My father all but disowned me after mother died… Sensei was never cruel to me, but never really cared about me either. I was just there and as long I stayed out of his way he tolerated me. I've been beaten down and shoved aside my entire life, and people want to look down on me for the way I am? They made me this way! At least you had a personality that helped you grab life by the face and scream into it to pay attention to you, but I never had that in me… All I could do was fade into the background and let life pass by, hoping if I stayed out of everyone's way and just do what's expected of me, then maybe I wouldn't have to endure anymore pain. Hiding in the shadows only made things worse though… So much pain… More than a hundred people should have to endure let alone one beaten down teenage boy. I know this is going to sound pathetic, but if my father had hugged me just once in my life or even paid the slightest bit of attention to me, I would probably be a completely different person today."

Shinji curled his knees up to his face as his tears started to flow. Asuka stared back at him, all the good humor sucked right out of her. She'd seen this side of Shinji before, but this time she didn't see a cowardly wimp retreating into himself. This one time she actually felt empathy… Maybe even sympathy for him. For a moment or two and maybe three, Asuka had almost forgotten Shinji was talking about himself and not her. She certainly didn't think she could've articulated her own experiences any better.

Now it was time for Asuka to do something unexpected. She rested her head against Shinji's shoulder while placing her arm around the small of his back. Stunned, Shinji stared down at the girl who flushed at the shocked look on the boy's face. She frowned and grumbled. "What?!"

"Sorr…" Shinji stopped himself and smiled. "Nothing…For once in my life, nothing is wrong… Nothing at all."

Asuka's face erupted. She had never seen that type of smile on the boy's face before… It was confident, joyful, affectionate, warm… Best of all, that smile radiated all these things in her direction. The type of affection she'd always longed for, but never received or even really knew how to accept when she did get it. On this night though, there was no rejection forthcoming. Their grips on one another tightened, their faces inches apart and longing to get closer, but neither dared to risk breaking the moment they were in. That's when Asuka felt it. Her last defense, that last wall built around her heart cracked then crumbled into dust. There was nothing left protecting her for this boy who held her at his mercy. All that was needed now was for him to walk in, if he had the wherewithal to do so, and that was a big 'if'.

Asuka eventually managed to free herself from the spell. She shook her head, and buried her face into his shoulder. Though free from his hypnotic grasp, from what certainly had to be an illegal facial expression, there was still enough electricity coursing through her body to light an entire city block. Shinji stared down at the back of her head, no longer smiling, and wondering what was going through his fellow pilot's head. Not that he was complaining mind you, he could sit out there and hold her like this all night if he had to. It wasn't to be though, as Asuka finally gathered herself enough to turn her head so she could speak without her voice being muffled by the boy cuddling up to her. "Shinji… You have to promise me something…"

"Alright… What is it?"

Another long silence passed before Asuka worked up the nerve to continue. "You have to promise that you're not going to run away from me… Being with me isn't going to be easy… I'm trying to get better, but my temper is still going to be an issue… There will be times that I'll say horrible things to you that I don't mean just to hurt you. You know how I am, and you have to promise me you're not going to let me drive you away… Because if there ever comes a day I turn around and you're not there, then that'll be the day that I'll truly never be able to forgive you…"

"Okay but… That's not going to easy. Standing behind you all the time. What about when you have to go to the bathroom or…"

"I meant figuratively not literally you dimwit!" Asuka snorted, but Shinji simply smiled through the insult. Asuka blushed, realizing what he'd just done. "You little ass… I'm being serious Shinji! Promise me…"

"Of course I do… As long as you'll have me, I'll always be right beside you…"

Shinji was dead serious. He pulled the German girl deeper into their embrace as he felt her tremble against him. She was crying again, but as for what he did to make her cry he wasn't sure. She seemed to get herself under control and finally looked up at him, tears staining those gorgeous blue eyes of hers. She stared at Shinji intently, with a look the boy couldn't quite decipher and that unsettled him. Her gaze was almost analytical, or maybe she was merely trying to stare directly into his soul. Whatever that look may have meant, the trance it put him in had left him oblivious to Asuka's left hand which had snuck around his shoulders where it now rested on the back of his head, playing with his hair. Without warning, she erased the distance remaining between them and did so violently.

Asuka hadn't so much as pressed her lips to his as crashed her mouth into his. Shinji quickly overcame the shock and reciprocated. The kiss was hungry and desperate on both sides. It was nowhere near the ideal first 'real' kiss but it meant everything to them. One was simply happy his nose wasn't being held closed, and otherwise might as well have had angles playing trumpets as they floated around him. The other could think of nothing more than eliminating all the remaining barriers between them… And she intended to remove them all. Shinji felt Asuka's lips grow increasingly more forceful against his, insatiably hungry and seeming to project raw emotion from them that had been pent up for far too long. Becoming increasingly more aggressive by the second, Asuka shoved Shinji to the ground onto his back and fell on top of him and all without parting her lips from his for even a second. Finally, the demand for air could no longer be ignored and they finally parted, Asuka inhaling sweet oxygen into her lungs like she'd been held under water. While they caught their breath, Shinji stared up at her and was eventually rewarded as those gorgeous blue orbs stared back down at him, filled to the brim with a fire Shinji could scarcely believe was being directed down at him. It was as if she'd gone completely primal, and that both frightened and excited him.

Asuka's lips found his again but this time with considerably less force. Both of his arms around the small of her back, he pulled her as close to him as the laws of physics would allow, as her tongue danced with his, both teens acting on pure instinct rather than any form of practical experience. Sometimes the human body just knew what it wanted, and Asuka's certainly seemed to… Their lips parted, only for Asuka to head south looking for any delicate spots and soon found one. At least Shinji's erratic gyrating would seem to suggest so. Lips and tongue assaulted that part of neck mercilessly. Hearing Shinji softly moan her name only served to embolden her and press her attack. Slowly but deliberately did she grind her hips into his now obviously swollen crotch while her hands traveled places they'd only gone in Shinji's dreams. Each kiss, each movement had purpose intended to keep the object of her desire from escaping, and rendering him utterly incapable of refusing her. Shinji hadn't any intention to do so until his hand fell to his side and clutched onto something he hadn't expected to find. It was a lacey and very moist feeling garment. Rolling his eyes to the side, Asuka still latched onto his neck, he confirmed his suspicion. In his hand was Asuka's discarded underwear. When the hell did she even take those off?! It was in that moment that Shinji realized what was about to happen, so he did something that would astound him for the rest of his life.

"Asuka wait…" he panted and pulled away from the girl and sat up.

"What, why?! What's wrong?..." she asked in disbelief, partly angry and partly afraid. Shinji guessed it was fear that she was being rejected again.

"Nothing at all… Absolutely nothing, but…" Shinji looked down at his hand drawing Asuka's eyes to her discarded undergarment. Her brain now catching up to her hormones, she came to the same realization that Shinji had… Well, at least she would have if her mind hadn't been in total agreement with the rest of her body. "We don't have to do this…"

"We don't have to, or you just don't want too?..." she replied almost sounding bitter.

"Oh trust me. It's not a matter of wanting to…" His eyes took a peak down at exhibit A in the crotch of his pants, still flying at full mast. "I just don't want to go too far in the heat of the moment, and then you end up hating me in the morning because I didn't stop you…"

"You idiot!" Asuka snatched her panties from his hand, a tad embarrassed to see him holding them. "Why would I have taken things this far if I didn't want that?!... You think I'm just some kind of slut that throws her body at just anyone?!"

"No, no! I… Look, this moment has already been perfect as it is… There's no need to rush into *that* part… It'll come naturally when the time is right… Let's be honest with each other… We're still learning how to stand being around each other most of the time..."

Asuka did not look pleased by his lame response, but she still understood what he was getting at. Her brain now having truly overtaken her hormones by this point, she realized that he was right. Not that she was going to let him know that. "Whatever Third…"

Asuka leaned back into Shinji, resting the back of her head against his shoulder. Thankful to every God in heaven that he managed to get Asuka Langley Soryu to listen to reason, he placed his free arm around her waist. Receiving no complaints he left it there, and the pair settled into a comfortable silence. Comfortable at least until the quiet become so deafening that his mind started to race. He stole frequent glances at the girl resting contently against him, desperately needing that constant verification that the last twenty minutes of his life hadn't been an illusion. Sensing his unease, and annoyed that Shinji just plain refused to speak his mind, Asuka decided to do something about it. "Still gona play bashful after all that? Something on your mind, then speak it Third."

Shinji grunted and blushed, momentarily worried that she could somehow now read his mind. What he really wanted to say was 'nothing', nothing was wrong that is, and leave it at that. He quickly decided against this strategy. He was going to have to make quite a few changes in his approach to dealing with the fiery German if he was going to achieve the type of relationship he wanted with her. No time like the present he guessed… Besides, the question swirling in his mind beckoned to be answered. "I was just thinking… About all this… I mean, what's happened between us tonight. What does all this mean for us?"

"What kind of stupid question is that?" she snorted. Only Shinji Ikari could have a partially naked girl straddling him with her tongue halfway down his throat, and still have doubts as to where he stood with her. Damn it, it would almost be cute if it wasn't so damn annoying. "You are such an idiot…"

Asuka rose up until she was nose to nose with him, a serious look on her face. With the tip of her index finger, she poked him continuously in the forehead. "What it means stupid, is that you're mine… From your head down to your feet, until the day that you die… Nobody else's, understood? Or do you have a problem with that?"

"None at all…" Shinji whispered softly, a smile on his face that made Asuka's heart do about three cartwheels. She had to look away to hide her own blush, and returned to using his shoulder as pillow. "You really are an idiot aren't you? You had the chance to sleep with the hottest girl in school and you said no… Don't you realize how many guys would've crawled over each other to be in your position?"

"They'd have to get through me first…" Shinji half grumbled, joking at first, but the sudden image of another man being in his position with Asuka made him sick to his stomach five ways to Sunday.

Asuka laughed at this. "Oh really? I have a hard time imaging the Invincible Shinji Ikari fighting off one of my rabid suitors let alone a small army of them. Sure you could handle that?"

"Hey, with the Angels gone, Unit 1 has to be put to some use right?"

Not sure if he was serious or joking, the look on his face seemed awfully intent, so she decided it was funny anyway and laughed. In the meantime, the pair seemed content to sit there quietly, enjoying that, for at least this one night, there were no walls or obstacles standing between them. Good things never last though, and Shinji eventually brought a halt to the tranquility by asking a very logical, though perhaps poorly timed question.

"What are we going do after tonight? It seems like you had a plan before, but I don't have a clue where I go from here…"

"Let's worry about that tomorrow okay?... For tonight at least, let's just be together and pretend our lives aren't as fucked up as they are…"

"Yeah… That sounds good," he smiled. Asuka offered no noticeable reaction, except to burrow herself deeper into his torso. They stayed like that as long as Mother Nature would permit them before the bugs and the blessed Post Third Impact humidity drove them back indoors. Neither had really said much, partly because they didn't have to, and partly because neither wanted to say anything stupid and ruin the moment. They spent the rest of the night as if they'd never left Misato's apartment. Shinji cooked them a modest dinner with the few supplies the safe house had available. Mercifully, the safe house did have a working TV, so the newly formed couple could still avoid talking with each other, and that way avoiding certain conversations the pair weren't ready to have yet. As the evening neared midnight, reality began to set in for the pilots… Or is it former pilots now? Either way, they both accepted they'd need to get some rest, for in the morning they'd finally have to discuss what their plans were now that they were fugitives from NERV and possibly even from the UN and the Japanese government for all they knew. Shinji wisely allowed Asuka her choice of bedroom, and shortly after wishing her goodnight, he encountered a problem. The only set of clothing he had was the outfit he'd been wearing when Asuka rescued him from the Geofront.

"Oh well, I'll just have to sleep in my underwear I guess… What I'm going to wear at night is going to be the least of my concerns come morning…" Shinji quickly stripped down to his under-roos, but hadn't realized he was being watched.

"Still a little on the skinny side, but you're nowhere near as scrawny as you used to be…" Asuka critiqued as she examined him from inside the doorway. Embarrassed, Shinji quickly tried to block the view of his boxers with his arms, only to forget all about his lack of dress when he noticed Asuka was wearing nothing but a solid white bra and panties. He managed to stave off a nosebleed and hastily turned his head.

"I'm sorry! I wasn't trying to ogle honest… You just surprised me…"

"Relax idiot…" she teased as she invited herself into the bedroom. "It's just my underwear, it's not like I'm naked… And it's okay to look as long as you have permission…"

"I have permission?" Shinji asked bewildered.

"To a point! That doesn't give you a license to peep on me in the shower or in my bedroom or anything like that!... For right now though it's fine…"

"Okay…" Shinji mustered the courage to look in her direction, and his man-parts immediately cursed him for being more of a gentleman than a horny teenager. "Guess you had the same problem as me… Nothing to sleep in but… Well, you see."

"Yeah… Didn't really consider a change of clothing when Kaji and I were sorting out what we'd need when we arrived here at the safe house… It's no big deal for one night though…"

"Right… What brings you to my room though?... Did you need something?…"

Asuka blushed, and turned her head away. She couldn't look him in the face when she made this request. "Look… Don't get the wrong impression, but I just don't want to be alone tonight… So like it or not, I'm crashing here with you tonight…"

"Okay…" Shinji squeaked nervously. With the exception of her slightly pink cheeks, Asuka gave off no indication anything was out of the ordinary as she strolled to the bed, claiming the left side. Shinji barely had time to process what was happening before Asuka was under the covers and facing the wall as if Shinji wasn't even in the room. Shinji shut off the lights, and cautiously climbed into bed, making sure to face in the opposite direction. "Um, good night Asuka…"

"Good night stupid…" she yawned lazily. Shinji spent the next five minutes wide-eyed and staring at the wall, far too petrified to even move, afraid even the tiniest movement would be misconstrued and ultimately lead to either his death, or at the very least his castration. Asuka lied awake as well, though for other reasons. Her eyes opened slightly, feeling a tad annoyed with her skittish bed-mate. "Shinji…"

"Yes Asuka?" Shinji squeaked, wondering what the hell he'd done wrong and prepared to beg for mercy from her wrath over whatever he had done to offend her.

"Stop being a wuss and put your arm around me already… You know where to and not to touch…"

"Oh! Okay…" Shinji chuckled faintly, both relieved and feeling a little silly. He complied quickly, though purposely tried not to appear too eager, placing his arm around her waist and pulling her close to him. Asuka was dumbstruck by how instantly warm she felt… So much so, that she was forced to tell off Shinji just to keep herself honest.

"Don't try anything funny now… You already let that ship sail for the night…" Asuka smirked fiendishly. "Unless you try hard enough…"

Shinji felt a certain part of his body respond, and he prayed it wasn't going to become an issue. "You're messing with my head aren't you?"

"Uh-huh…" If Shinji could've seen her smile he might've melted. With a grin of his own, he gently kissed the back of Asuka's red-head before nestling his forehead in that same spot. For some reason, the innocent little gesture turned Asuka's cheeks apple red. "Idiot…"

* * *

Shinji was awoken far too early that morning by the sound of glass crashing somewhere on the floor below them. Shinji bolted upright in bed, though he hadn't quite yet identified the sound that had stirred him awake. He looked down at Asuka who was wriggling around as if she'd been disturbed but wasn't quite awake yet. Shinji listened carefully and thanks to that quiet old house, he could clearly hear the sounds of footsteps below on the lower level. "Damn it, no…"

"Wha, huh?" Asuka stirred awake and popped up as if sensing something was wrong. "What's going on Shinji?"

Shinji's expression for her was grim. "I think somebody's in the house… Downstairs…"

"No…" Asuka now had the same panicked look as he did. "They couldn't have found us already!"

"I'll go check it out… You stay here…"

"No, I'll go with you," Asuka decided as she stood up out of bed just as he had.

"No, we don't know who's down there…. It'll be safer if you…" he was silenced when Asuka put her hand up to his face.

"Don't even… I'm not a girl that needs a big strong man to protect her! Trust me, whoever is down there has more to fear from me, than I do from them!"

Shinji thought it over for a moment, and then nodded his head. "Alright… Let's check it out together then…"

The pair of teens cautiously crept down the staircase. Shinji clenched his right hand over a small hammer, the only object he could find that could serve as a potential weapon if he needed to defend himself or Asuka. They made it to the first floor and into the kitchen area with no sign of any intruders. Shinji was starting to wonder if maybe he'd been hearing things, only for them both to turn around and receive a bright flash of light in their faces.

"I found them! The kids are here!" a man said with muted excitement. The suit he was wearing gave him away as a Section 2 agent.

"Damn… Quick run for it!" Shinji yelled to Asuka as they both sprinted towards the back door of the house. Before they even really got close though, the door swung open to reveal two more grunts wearing suits. One of the men put his arms up to show he was unarmed or least non-threatening.

"Clam down kids… Don't run we just…"

"Damn it, what now?" Shinji asked Asuka, not really listening to what the security agent was saying.

"How the hell would I know?!"

"Shinji! Asuka, is that you?!"

The voice calling out to them froze them both in place. Several beams of light poured into the room, and accompanied by a pair of Section 2 agents was the Commander of NERV herself. Laying eyes on the kids, she reacted more like a young mother than their commanding officer. "Thank god, it is you!"

Misato rushed over to the pilots and embraced one in each arm. Shinji grinned sheepishly as Misato squished the boy against her. Asuka looked annoyed but otherwise tolerated the contact. "I was so worried you guys might've taken off before we got here, and then we wouldn't have a clue where to find you! I'm so glad you two…" The gushing reunion hit a snag as Misato pulled back and got a good look at her two young wards. Her brow furrowed. "Why are you guys dressed in nothing but your underwear?!"

Both teens turned bright red. Asuka, at least, wasn't so embarrassed that she couldn't offer a reasonable explanation. "Nothing happened! Neither of us had any sleep-ware… You know, most people don't haul around luggage with them while their trying to bust somebody out of the slammer!"

"I suppose you have a point…" Misato smiled, and then chuckled as she stood up. "You know, along with your co-conspirator whose name will not be spoken, you guys really put one over on us. I'd almost commend you on the effort if you hadn't turned half the hairs on my head gray in the process…"

"I'm sorry to worry you Misato…" Shinji said meekly, concerned for obvious reasons. "You found us, so I guess it's back to my cozy little cell then…"

"Over my dead body," Misato told him with frightening seriousness. "We have proof now that Dr. Reniot was a SEELE agent and that she forged the medical documents she used to have you locked up. There was never any evidence that you were contaminated by the Angel virus or suffered from anything else other than another SEELE plot. The only place you're going is back home with me where you belong."

"You're not kidding?" he asked in shock as Misato ruffled his hair. "What about the whole escape business? Aren't Asuka and I going to be in trouble for that?"

"Normally yes, but considering you never should've been in that cell in the first place… Two wrongs don't make a right, but in this case we're just going to let the wrongs cancel each other out. It was all for the best anyway. We got a dangerous SEELE agent out of a high ranking position of power, and we cleared your name Shinji. That is what's important. Far more good came out of this crazy stunt than bad. Just some superficial damage to the Geofront, and a prestigious jog opening."

Asuka's eyes had thinned at what she heard. "So, Dr. Reniot was the one who injected the virus into Unit 2?"

"Yes," Misato said as if that should be obvious.

"And then she set up Shinji to cover her ass, just like I suggested the other day right?"

"Yes…"

"So that means I was right all along, and if you had bothered to listen to me in the first place, then all this chaos could've been avoided?!"

"Asuka… Shut up, and get your clothes on so we can go home."

This drew a chuckle from Shinji, which earned him an elbow to the ribs from the red-head. The pair complied without any further complaints. Misato waited for them by the base of the stairs when she was approached by one of her Section 2 agents.

"We've done several sweeps of the dwelling and the surrounding area. We didn't find any cameras or listening devices of any kind. There's no sign that anyone but the children have been in or around the premises."

"Good… Then Kaji must've been telling the truth about his handlers being unaware of what he was planning… Thank you Takashi. Instruct one car to escort us home, and then advise the rest of the agents that their dismissed for the evening."

"Affirmative… And for the record Commander… We're all pleased everything worked out in the end with the Children."

Misato smiled like she hadn't in weeks. "It does feel good to have everything going right for a change…"

* * *

The car ride home was an interesting experience for Misato Katsuragi. Though jovial as she was, she was struggling now to keep her eyes on the road, while at the same time keeping her eyes on the pair of young people in the backseat. There was something different with the two of them, and it was so obvious that the glare was almost blinding. What cemented her suspicion was, though it was only briefly, when she saw Asuka's hand covering the boy's. They disengaged rather quickly as if aware they were being watched, but the damage had been done... No scratch that… Misato had yet to even begin to cause damage, and she was a wrecking ball ready to strike the half expectant teens.

"Are you guys sure nothing happened between you two tonight? You two just seem so much less… Ready to kill each other-ish, I guess would be the right words."

"Nothing happened!" Asuka rolled her eyes. "We explained to you several times already that we didn't have a change of clothes, and that's why we were sleeping in our underwear!"

"That doesn't explain why I saw your hand holding his though, rather than holding his throat. Did the thrill of being fugitives for a day bring you two closer together?"

"Maybe we're both just happy this nonsense is over, and we get to go home," Asuka said in her defense, blushing faintly.

"That's the extent of it? There's no need for me to brush the two of you for fingerprints when we get home?"

"What exactly would you do if you found any?" Asuka asked smugly, hoping to beat Misato at her own game. She would quickly learn never to trifle with a master of the craft.

"First off, I guess I'd uncork a bottle of wine to celebrate! Then the three of us would have to take a seat and have a long friendly chat about condoms, stretch-mark's, sleepless nights, and all that other good stuff. All the while, my camera phone will be running, so I can upload the video to the internet once we're finished!"

"We're seventeen Misato! We're a long way removed from needing 'the talk'!"

"As your guardian, I'll decide what conversations you'll need to have and when you'll need to have them thank you," Misato quipped having way too much fun, and Asuka was just making it easier for her.

Shinji, who'd done well to stay out of it to that point, could no longer fight it and he started to chuckle, drawing a menacing look from the red-head. Wisely, Shinji chose to divert the conversation in another direction. "There's one thing I'm having trouble understanding Misato… If Kaji had the evidence on Dr. Reniot, then why didn't he just give it to you instead of putting us all through… You know…"

"For the theatrics?" Asuka answered for him.

"Who knows, for shits and giggles for all we know," Misato answered him the best she could. "Honestly, I'm sure he had reasons for going to the lengths he did. Maybe he didn't fully trust us, or more likely, he might've been afraid we wouldn't trust him… You never know with Ryoji, he's always playing four or five angles at any given time… I'm sure he felt he wouldn't get everything he wanted unless he caused just the right amount of strokes and heart attacks…"

"Makes as much since as anything else… What do you think Asuka?"

The German shrugged her shoulders, offering no personal opinion, a rare show of discretion on her part. She could give them her theory, but she just didn't see how she could do so without embarrassing herself. Simply saying 'no', or 'I don't know,' would've been a partial lie. She had no idea as to the reasons why Kaji went to the extremes he did, but judging from that note he'd left her in that envelope… One of his secondary objectives was obvious and none too subtle.

" _I'm sorry for all the grief I've caused you Red, both past and present. I'm hoping your employers will be receptive to my offer, and if all goes well, this entire mess will blow over in a day or two, so both you and your young friend can go back to your normal lives… That being said, all this should give you at least a day or two alone with him… Make the most of it. There's no one around to stand over you and judge you… The two of you didn't risk so much for each other just to keep you conscious clean. Keep reminding yourself of what those reasons were, and unlock that last iron gate. You deserve to be happy kid."_

"Idi…" Asuka stopped herself short of calling Kaji an idiot. That was Shinji's designation, and Kaji just didn't seem worthy of the label. Insulting anyone else with that title just wouldn't feel appropriate anymore. "Kaji you imbecile…" she whispered with a smile on her face. Shinji didn't quite catch what she had said, but knew she had muttered something.

"Did you say something Asuka?"

"Not to you idiot, so mind your own business," Asuka spat playfully. Shinji blushed at first, and then smiled softly at her. Asuka returned the gesture, before both kids turned their attention back to the world passing by as they drove passed it… And both began to wonder why the hell it was that Misato was suddenly driving like a sane person.

End of Chapter 15

 _Well, that was Fun. Hope you all had as much fun reading as I did writing this one._


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

The week that followed the infamous, what NERV nearly unanimously dubbed 'The incident that shall be never be spoken of', went by like a blur. Though a lot of good things came out of that evening, as a whole, the entire event was a major embarrassment for the organization and brought up numerous questions about their security. Kaji's ability to make just about anybody's security measures look amateurish wasn't considered an excuse. The overlooking of Dr. Reniot as a SEELE operative was what upset people the most. Her escapades brought into question the credibility or almost everyone hired by the organization after Third Impact.

Other than the huge shiner NERV's pride was sporting, the mood in general was upbeat. After a proper examination from the trustworthy members of the medical staff, Shinji was stamped contamination-free, and though it would take time, his reputation within NERV would slowly be repaired. As for his Asuka assisted escape act well… Their likely wouldn't have been a lot of clamoring for them to be disciplined for it after Dr. Reniot was exposed, still no chances were taken. There weren't any witnesses to Shinji's escape, and all the security footage for that particular area that night had mysteriously been destroyed, cough, cough.

As for the good doctor, or rather not so good, Kaji's assessment of her was spot on. The only surprising thing to come out of her interrogation was just how quickly and thoroughly she flipped on SEELE, feeding the JSDU everything she knew about the remaining members of the organization, and even offered up her father's location. When he was apprehended two days later, the old man was shockingly even more forthcoming with the information he had available on his club of would-be-gods. Apparently old man Reniot wasn't too keen on those fellows finding paradise without him. All that was left for Kaji and his team was to bring in the hold-overs who were undoubtedly scurrying like rats, burrowing into any little hole they could find. Seeing as it was Kaji's intel and damn near uncanny resourcefulness that was going to lead to what was likely SEELE's death-blow, Kaji not only kept his happy butt out of prison but even got to keep his job, albeit while being watched very closely and being awarded nowhere near the freedom he once had. You know, it didn't really matter to him anymore. The remnants of SEELE were in his sights, and his itchy finger was on the trigger. Once they were rounded up, he fully intended to retire from this business, regardless if his superiors liked it or not.

Now, that leaves us with an update on the new young… Um, couple I guess you could call them. Not surprisingly, the relationship was moving forward in baby steps, it really kind of needed to be. The first two days left Shinji rather confused, for it didn't seem like much had changed between them. The pair seemed to fall into the exact same routine once they woke up the next morning, and in fact, Asuka seemed to be more irritable and angry with him than she'd been just after breaking him out of his cell. Shinji assumed she might be putting on a show now that they were around other people, or maybe she regretted finally opening up to him that night and was already building the walls back up. A funny thing happened over the next 24 hours though, a few funny things actually. Shinji stopped pouting and assuming the worst, and actually started paying attention so maybe he could figure out just why she was so upset with him all of the sudden. Finally, something completely bizarre happened. For the first time in his rather ignorant social life, Shinji Ikari was able to figure out what was bothering someone, a girl no less, without being told. Amazingly still, his mind wasn't completely destroyed by the revelation. Since the night they returned to Misato's apartment, Shinji had been passive, waiting for any sign from Asuka that what had happened that night was real. What he finally realized was that Asuka was waiting for him to do the exact same thing, and the longer Shinji carried on like nothing had changed between the two of them, the angrier Asuka became. Yes Asuka was bold, yes she was independent, and she most definitely was not one to conform to the generic perception of how a woman was supposed to act and carry herself… Still, in the end, like most girls her age, she wanted her guy to make the first move.

After Shinji's little epiphany, he did just that, and finally things between them improved… After a day or so of Asuka making Shinji's life hell for making her wait so long. They decided not to keep their relationship a secret from anyone, but they weren't going to broadcast it to the world either. Especially not at school as Asuka decided, since most of her classmates already joked about the two of them being together, or the newlyweds as some liked to call them, it would be fun to mess with their heads a little. Eight days had passed since 'The incident they couldn't speak of by name', and they hadn't outright told anyone yet. Not even their friends, though they both were aware those friends had to have their suspicions by now. While Asuka still insulted him and they still bickered, the entire act was much too flirtatious now for anyone with any common sense not to notice something was different. This was what Asuka was counting on after all, and was enjoying the hell out of it. Especially that doofus Toji who'd just stare at them looking completely mortified. For an absolute buffoon, the jock had always had this odd knack of being able to read Shinji rather well. Asuka made it a point to cuddle up to Shinji or lock their arms together when she knew only Toji could see, which served to drive the jock nuts, especially when nobody else believed him. It was like having a ghost around that only you could see, but only occasionally through the corner of your eye, and always disappeared before you could get anyone else to turn around and look.

"Are you sure you don't want to at least tell Hikari?" Shinji asked her as they walked home from school. "Me not telling Toji or Kensuke isn't really a big deal, but I know it's different with girls about that sort of thing… I doubt she'd be mad at you or anything, but shouldn't you at least tell your best friend before anyone else figures it out?"

Though she looked disinterested, Asuka was actually thinking it over. When the baka started making sense regularly, she had no idea, but of course she credited herself by deciding she must be rubbing off on the stooge. "Probably… I will eventually when I'm ready to… I want to enjoy keeping us a secret for a while longer… Don't you want to enjoy being together for a while before everyone finds out, and starts fussing over us and asking millions of dumb-ass questions?"

"Well yeah…" Shinji blushed as he imagined being trampled by a gaggle of gossiping classmates. "Surely it won't be that bad… How much attention could we possible get?"

"Are you kidding baka? We're Eva pilots and we work for NERV! Not to mention that everyone at school already goaded us about being an item back when we couldn't stand each other! If they were that insufferable then, I can only imagine how they're going to act now!"

"Well… If you're worried about them teasing us, we can always lay low around school and not let on that we're seeing each other. That way no one can bug you about…"

Asuka cut Shinji off by slamming her hand against the building they were walking in front of, with coincidentally happened to be the apartment they lived in. Shinji shrank as Asuka cornered him against the wall, her face just inches away from his. His nerves eased somewhat as Asuka didn't appear angry with him. "I thought we had this straight Third Child?! I'm not big on PDA and all that crap, but I'm also the type of girl who isn't shy about letting everyone else know when something belongs to me. So, if want to hold your hand, I will. If I want to touch you, I will. If I feel like kissing you I will, and I don't give a damn who's watching or who has a problem with it! Is that understood Ikari?!"

"Perfectly," Shinji smiled brilliantly, and Asuka melted like butter. With a grin of her own, Asuka apparently felt like kissing him so she did. Her lips started off soft and gentle on his, but as always, as her lips lingered on his they became more aggressive, more demanding as the kiss deepened. He wasn't complaining, no way in hell. This was a trait he likely should've expected from a girl who put so much passion and energy into everything she did that mattered to her. Shinji's heart did a couple of flips at the thought of being something that mattered to the German beauty.

The young couple reluctantly pulled away from each other before things got too heated. His breathing slightly heavy, he smirked at the red-head before he asked, "Why weren't we doing this sooner?"

"Because you were an idiot," Asuka took his hand in hers and started to tug him along. "Now come on!"

"And because you're not holding my nose closed while we kiss anymore," Shinji joked as he allowed himself to be dragged along.

"Oh shut up."

As you could imagine, the trip up the elevator and into the apartment was uneventful. Still, for some reason, Shinji looked nervous as hell over something. If not his nerves, the only other logical conclusion was that he needed to fart. Asuka noticed the Third Child all sweaty and twitchy, and in response, her eyes thinned in agitation.

"What's the problem Third? You have that 'I'm about to shit myself' look going."

"Oh nothing! Nothing bad at all… I just…" Shinji took a deep breath and just came right out with it. "I was just thinking that we've been um… Together for almost a week now, and I still haven't taken you out on a date or anything like that…"

Asuka tried to look annoyed, but couldn't completely fight off the smirk that was forming. For some reason, the nervous shyness about him that used to irritate her to no end, she was now starting to find cute. "Gesh, this has got to be the lamest attempt to ask me out that I've ever heard… And I've had a lot of morons try to ask me out before…"

"Sorry! But, I've just never done this…"

Not feeling a shred of sympathy for him, Asuka chuckled and mercifully grabbed him by the hand, pulling him down on the couch with her. Shinji looked perplexed as Asuka sighed and flung her head against the back of the couch. "Calm down before you have an aneurysm. I was only messing with you… We're already a couple, so you don't technically have to ask me out… At least not in the dumb-ass way you're doing it, sounding like the class nerd trying to ask out the prom queen he has no shot with…"

"Sorry, but that is kind of what it feel likes for me," Shinji smirked shyly. Asuka's cheeks tinted pink, though she tried not to let him see that. She'd been doing everything in her power not to let Shinji know just how bothered he could make her… In all the right wasy that was. "I didn't just want to assume either… I also have to apologize ahead of time since I won't be able to afford much now that NERV is in control of our bank accounts again and have most of our money frozen until we're twenty…"

"Stop apologizing… And don't worry so much about trivial crap... You already have the girl, so you don't exactly have to try and woo me around every turn…" the read-head smirked, and added. "Just most of them…"

Shinji laughed at this. "That sounds more like the Asuka I know… For a minute there I thought you were going to tell me that Asuka Langley Soryu didn't care about fancy dinners, expensive gifts, or nights out on the town and all that stuff…"

"Oh no, I fully expect you to spoil me rotten if you know what's good for you!" Asuka was only half-teasing, making Shinji sweat-drop just a bit. "For right now though… I'm just feeling content keeping things low key and comfortable… To feel normal is something I really need right now, and you…"

"What?" Shinji asked, prompted by her hesitation. Asuka turned bright red and turned her head. This of course, only heightened Shinji's curiosity. "What's wrong Asuka?"

"Nothing!... Just don't make me say it okay!"

"Say what? Come on Asuka tell me…What were you going to say?"

Biting her lower lip momentarily, with a growl of frustration she spilled the beans. "I'm comfortable with you, and being with you makes me feel normal okay?!"

"Oh… Okay…" Shinji smiled brilliantly, and took Asuka by the hand. "It means the world to me that you feel that way…"

Her blush receding, a more sinister expression took over her features. "Misato won't be back from work for a while… Leaving us kids unsupervised. What will we ever do with the time?"

"I'm sure we can think of something…" Shinji smiled, picking up on her hint. As their faces inched closer, the sound of the apartment door opening completely ruined the moment.

"I'm home! Shinji? Asuka? Either of you home yet?!"

The teens jumped about a foot off the couch before retreating to opposite ends of the sofa. Both looked back towards the kitchen to see their guardian raiding the fridge. Irritated over being interrupted, Asuka greeted the Commander the best way she knew how when she was pissed. "You're back awful early. Did you finally get caught drinking on the job, and they canned your ass?"

"Well, I would've had to have been pretty drunk to fire myself… Which is about what would have to happen for me to lose my job. What's got your goat this afternoon Asuka?" Misato grinned wryly. "Were you and Shinji in the middle of a smooch session, and I interrupted?"

Asuka was about to fire back, paused and then thought about it for a moment. A devious idea quickly formed within that skull. "As a matter of fact, yes!"

"Ah, I always suspected you guys fooled around in here while I'm not around," Misato cracked, not believing her one bit. "Well, don't let me stop you! Carry on, but just don't get bent out of shape if I decide to watch. It is my house you know…"

Asuka and Shinji looked at each other, knowing Misato wasn't serious. That would make taking her up on that offer all the more fun, Asuka thought to herself. Asuka shrugged her shoulders, smiled and then basically tackled Shinji down on the couch. Shinji resisted only briefly before the feel of Asuka's lips on his overwhelmed him, and suddenly the notion of his guardian as a potential voyeur wasn't even registering anymore.

Hearing an odd smacking sound coming from the sitting room, Misato headed towards the couch to investigate. Her jaw about hit the floor along with her beer. "What the?! Glu-ug!"

Asuka removed her face from Shinji's, feigning a look of annoyance towards Misato. "What?!"

"You two are actually… If you two are trying to mess with me, this isn't funny! Now both of you, hands and lips to yourselves and explain to me just what the hell is going on here?!"

"Sorry," Shinji mumbled on instinct, drawing an annoyed glare from his partner. The pair sat on opposite ends of the couch, Shinji looking sheepish while Asuka looked amused with her legs crossed and twitching nonchalantly.

"Okay then…" Misato's eyes bounced back and forth from Shinji to Asuka, looking for any chink in their demeanor that might give away she hadn't actually seen what she'd just seen. Not that she would object to the two having a relationship with one another, hell she'd campaigned for it, but with Asuka's track-record she had concerns that the red-head might possibly be messing with Shinji's head… No less importantly, hers. "I expect a serious answer from you two. What's going on between you two if anything, and if it is, how long has this been going on?"

Shinji looked to Asuka, who just shrugged her shoulders as if giving him permission to tell her. Shinji hesitantly complied. "A week, give or take…"

"A week? That would mean this started on or around the day Asuka busted you out of…" Misato smirked triumphantly. "I knew it! Something did happen between you two that night… It was written all over your faces on the drive home!"

"Well… Yeah," Shinji smiled shyly, now blushing profusely. A week ago, this behavior would've annoyed Asuka enough to contemplate murder, but now all she could do was smile at his reaction. "Sorry, we would've told you, but Asuka's been having too much fun messing with people…"

"Consider it payback for all the times you, and the other fools we know, teased us about being an item back when we weren't. Turnabout is fair play after all."

"An item huh?" Misato grinned evilly. "That serious already hey?"

Now it was Asuka who was blushing. "Well, an item isn't exactly the word I would use… But yes, this is more than just your typical cheesy high school fling between two immature kids who are just dipping their toes in the water… It's more than that. Call it whatever you want, but we are together…"

"I see… That's good to hear from you Asuka…" Misato's lips pursed as she thought something through. "I guess I'm going to need to install cameras in both your rooms now, to make sure you two kids are behaving yourselves." Misato was only half joking.

"Oh please, we're not little children anymore!" Asuka huffed, not caring if Misato was serious or not. Even joking about planting surveillance equipment in her room wasn't something Asuka was going to tolerate. "We're not going to rush into things, but when we are ready, I'm going to do with the idiot whatever I please!"

Shinji turned red again, and Misato couldn't help but laugh. This was going to be too much fun. "Well, I'm going to trust you guys to be careful, but I will be watching… For right now though, let's forget about that! I just want you two to know how happy I am for you guys… Choose to believe what you want, but I saw this coming long before there were any romantic thoughts for each other in either of your heads! You know, this does explain a lot really… Why you guys have acted so happy lately, and around each other of all things… It's good to see you guys smile like you have been…. You two deserve it."

"Thank you…" Shinji staggered, now feeling warmness in his chest as well as his cheeks. Asuka looked away in the opposite direction looking irritated, but red-faced herself.

"Alright then!" Misato clapped her hands together. "This calls for a celebration! I'm taking you guys out to dinner on me! You two have ten minutes to get yourselves ready!"

"You don't have to do that Misato…"

"Oh please Shinji, I want to! I've been looking forward to this moment for years! Hell, I would've settled for the two of you deciding you no longer wanted to strangle one another but…" Grinning wryly, Misato laid on the corniest most over exaggerated baby voice she could muster. "It's so much sweeter to see my precious little munchkins in love!..."

"So it begins…" Asuka grumbled, as she hid her face with her hands. Shinji looked about ready to die as Misato pinched at his cheek.

"Just promise us you won't tell anybody else for the time being," Shinji requested, as he escaped the grasp of her fingers. "We'd prefer to tell our friend and coworkers ourselves."

"That won't be a problem, my lips are sealed! Though, just for my curiosity's sake, when do you guys plan on telling people?"

"When not telling anyone stops being fun," Asuka answered honestly before walking off towards her room. "I'm going to get dressed! Shinji you better wear something other than your school uniform, you got that?!"

"But what's wrong with my…" Shinji examined his shirt. He had planned on leaving the house just as he was. He looked up towards Misato for guidance. She just smiled and shook her head.

"When your woman tells you do something, wise men comply without delay. Especially when that certain woman expects something of you."

"Um good point… I guess I could find something else to throw on…"

"Smart boy… Now, I doubt she really cares what you wear. She just wants to see you dressed as something other than a school boy. Now get cracking! You shouldn't ever keep your lady waiting either… It's her job to make you wait."

"That hardly sounds fair… Nor does it make any sense…"

"Women rarely do, but you'll find that out for yourself. We're done talking now! Go get dressed before my generosity starts to wane!"

"Right… Thanks Misato," Shinji smiled before heading towards his room to change. Now left alone in the sitting room, Misato again had the opportunity to wrap her head around what she'd just learned. "After all this time… Shinji & Asuka… Together and Fourth Impact wasn't initiated in the process. Maybe I should've made that bet with Aboa after all…"

* * *

The 'celebration' dinner Misato had taken her two young charges too proved to be a surreal experience to say the least. Seeing the kids getting along was fantastic on its own, but seeing them clearly enjoy each other's company, and event flirt was cause for Misato to hit the alcohol a little harder than she normally would have on a weeknight still in the early evening. As expected, Shinji was reserved, refraining from making a spectacle of himself, but also did not hesitate to respond to Asuka's prodding. Asuka seemed to have no problem carrying on like Misato, or anyone else in the restaurant for that matter, was even in the room with them. Thankfully, she didn't try or say anything too outlandish, but Misato had little doubt the red-head would have virtually no reservations against putting on a display if she felt up to it, regardless of who might be watching. Hell, Asuka had even fed Shinji part of his meal at one point… Of course this was only to embarrass the hell out of the boy, and it worked stupendously. It didn't help either that Misato was practically rolling on the floor at his reaction.

With the meal paid for, and another looming day at Planet NERV, and school staring the kids in the face, they headed for home. Misato, upon realizing she may have ordered one too many drinks, let Shinji drive them home, annoying Asuka when she found out she'd be riding in the backseat alone. It wasn't long before sleep was calling the name of the Commander of NERV, though she decided a quick step out onto the balcony to enjoy some fresh air sounded too appealing to pass up. She checked on the new couple one last time, finding them not quite cuddled together on the couch as they watched TV, but close enough they might as well have been.

"I'm stepping out on the balcony for a moment, and then I'm going to bed. Don't stay up too late… And sleep in your own beds!"

"We know that! Jeez Misato!" Misato heard Asuka yell back at her, as she was sliding the door shut. She took one step towards the railing and froze, realizing she wasn't out there alone.

"Lovely night out, wouldn't you say?"

Misato instinctively reached for her gun that wasn't currently on her person. Realizing she was unarmed, but likely not in danger, she took a defensive stance anyway. "What the hell are you doing here?! How the hell did you even get up here?! We're ten stories up!"

Kaji merely shrugged. He ignored both questions, and responded with one of his own. "I see that Shinji and Asuka have finally discovered there's more entertaining ways to spend their time together other than trying to kill each other. How has it been going between those two?"

"Fine from what I've seen," Misato crossed her arms, her expression deadly serious. "Not that it's any of your damn business…"

"I do consider it my business… You can think what you want of me Commander, but those kids are just as important to me as they are to you. Their happiness is something I concern myself with."

Misato grumbled something to herself. She knew Kaji wasn't lying, but she sure as hell wasn't going to tell him that. "Before I have you removed from the premises in handcuffs for trespassing, why are you here? Don't give me any crap that you just wanted to ask about Asuka and Shinji! We both know you already knew the answer to that question before you asked, like you haven't been watching us the entire time… Are you here to brag? I know your team has been rounding up SEELE agent's left and right recently... From what I've heard, Reniot was flipping on everyone from her father to the woman who cleans their toilets!"

"Thank you for a taking an interest," he quipped nonchalantly as he lit up a cigarette. "Yes, thanks to the efforts of a lot of good people, SEELE is a mere arrest or two away from no longer existing. In fact, we only have one target left… He's a big wig from the states though, and one of Keel's original collaborators in fact… He's not going to be as easy to extract as most of his colleagues I'm afraid… We were able to get to them before they knew what hit them, but this guy has seen us coming and has already gone underground. We have a good idea where's he located, but from what I understand, he's very unlikely to go down without a fight…"

"All the more reason for you to be focusing on your job instead of annoying me… Why are you telling me all this anyway?"

Kaji hesitated. He knew exactly how to answer her, but if his words would mean anything to the Commander, he had no clue. "Because I owed it to you…"

"Owed what to me?..."

"The last time… The last time my work sent me down a road I was painfully aware I'd never reach the end of, I wasn't able to tell you… Knowing that I might not make it back from this mission, I didn't want to make the same mistake."

Misato glared at him, wondering if he was serious. "Ryoji…"

Kaji flipped his cigarette over the railing before finally daring to look his lost love in the eye. His usual smug grin was notably absent, a strong hint that whatever was on his mind, he was taking quite seriously. "I also wanted you to know that if… No, when I come back, I'm done… No more espionage, no more lies, no more games… Once this job is done, I fully plan on having an actual life that every aspect of isn't dictated by my government."

"Whoopi for you! Now, how the hell does this have anything to do with me?!"

"It has everything to do with you… And those two kids… There are very few people in my life that I truly care about Misato, the few my job would allow. Most of them live right inside this apartment. Wouldn't it make sense that this is where I'd want to be?"

"Your nerve has no limit does it Ryoji?! Do you seriously think that after everything you've put us through, that I'd allow you anywhere near me or those kids?!"

"Honestly, no I don't," he replied, his usual grin returning. "I had every expectation that I'd have to work to get back in your good graces… I know you don't want me around right now, but I'm damn sure going to try and change your mind…"

"What is it I've been saying exactly that you're not understanding?!" Misato grabbed Kaji by the scruff of his neck, and pulled his face dangerously close to hers. Kaji, who usually would've fired off some witty remark by now, kept his mouth shut. The look on her face was one that was deadly serious, enough to make even Ryoji Kaji reluctant to tempt fate. "I don't want you anywhere near us! Get this through your head, there's nothing you can ever do or say that's going to change that! If your fed up with being a government grunt, then great for you! Get on with your life somewhere else though, there's nothing for you here!"

"I'm afraid I disagree," Kaji smirked, regaining his composure.

"Damn it, what do I need to do?! Shoot you in the face?! Have you hauled away in handcuffs?! What exactly do I have to do to convince you that you're never going to get anywhere close to being a part of our lives again?!"

"I'm afraid the answer is nothing," Kaji put on his best smug grin as he finally worked himself free of her grip, and then adjusted his collar. "I thought I made it clear that I didn't expect you to accept me back into your lives, not anytime soon anyway. I simply made clear my intentions to try, in the hopes that one day, just maybe you'll be able to forgive me for neglecting to put what's always been most important to me first."

"Ryoji… You're asking me to do the impossible…"

"Impossible? What's that? You're the Commander of NERV, impossible is your organizations specialty. Heck, if Shinji and Asuka could finally mange to get passed themselves to find each other, how can you say for certain that you'll never find your way back to me again…"

"Don't compare yourself to them!" she snapped, seeming to get offended at the comparison Kaji didn't even really make. "They risked their lives and their freedom for one another… All you've ever done is lie, manipulate, cheat, and play dead to achieve your means… Be damned who you hurt along the way!"

"That's not completely fair… But I can't argue your point either. I'm well acquainted with my short-comings and I intend to fix them… I'm also aware that you've given me more chances than I deserve, but for the first time I'll finally be in a position to make good on one of those chances if you ever do decide to give me another shot to prove myself. I'm well aware of how difficult earning back your trust is going to be… But I just can't see a scenario where forgiving me someday would be completely impossible… Improbable definitely but…"

"This has always been your problem Kaji…" Misato interrupted her voice shaky. Kaji could tell she was trying valiantly not to cry, and was close to being overwhelmed. "Why things never would work out between us even if I could ever bring myself to forgive you… You still treat me, or should I say, try to work me like I'm the same girl you knew back in college! I've grown up since then Ryoji. I'm not the same woman you knew… Hell, I've matured enough to have forgiven you and pretty much forgotten all the crap you pulled on me back then. It's everything you've done since you bulldozed your way back into my life that I can't bring myself to forgive you for!"

"Misato…"

"No, you shut up and listen!" Dual tears streaked down her eyes, but the Commander wiped them away and hardened herself. "When you died Ryoji… Allegedly, it pretty much destroyed me. I spent the short time I had left in that life trying to finish your work, forsaking everything else in my life to do it!... That included Shinji, at a time in his life when he probably needed me the most… I still hate myself to this very day for that! I abandoned him just like everyone else he cared about in his life had, and everything just descended into hell from there… Do you realize that the worst part of all this wasn't even dying, or Third Impact… It was finding out a week ago that you weren't even dead! Ha, ha, ha… My entire obsession was based on a lie! You claim you care about us, yet we weren't even important enough to drop a line too, just to let us know you were still around! Me at the very least! Don't give me any crap about keeping silent to protect me either! I wasn't named Commander of NERV or Operations Director because I was the only idiot that applied! You could've found a way to get word to me, and trust that I was smart enough not to let anyone find out what I knew!... No, not Ryoji Kaji though… He prides himself too much on being Mr. Super-Agent! If you're not invisible you're doing something wrong, aren't you Ryoji?!"

Kaji didn't seem to have an answer for this… Good thing too, because Misato wasn't done. "Crazy as it sounds though… I almost could've forgiven you for all that too… But when you dragged Shinji into your secret little world… He could've died exposing himself to that virus… I almost lost him again Ryoji, and I will never forgive you for that! Both he and Asuka could've been hurt during that escape or even be rotting in jail right now! I may have been able to bring myself to forgive anything else, but when you got my kids involved… I don't want you anywhere near them! Or me… Whenever I let you get close to me, you leave nothing but pain and misery in your wake… Please, if you care about us like you claim, don't expose us to anymore of that… Just please stay way…"

It became apparent that Misato was done with the conversation, as she turned on her heels and headed back inside. The sliding glass door standing half open, she peered over her shoulder at her shell-shocked ex-lover and issued one final warning. "You have five minutes to remove yourself from the premises. If you fail to do so, I'll have Section 2 haul your ass out of here and straight to one of our holding cells at the Geofront… I heard the cell I was forced to put Shinji in is particularly cozy…"

Without waiting for a response, Misato slammed the door shut leaving Kaji to assume he wouldn't be allowed to exit through the apartment. Misato stood just inside the balcony door, still fuming. She sautéed in her own fury for a good minute, before sliding the door open again, after deciding she had more to say to him. "And another thing Ryoji!... Huh?"

Misato's words fluttered on the breeze, heard by no one. Kaji was nowhere to be seen, suddenly filling the Commander with dread. She raced over to the railing hoping the fool hadn't done anything stupid, and thankfully there was no sign of his broken carcass or a Kaji shaped crater on the pavement below. How he escaped her balcony would just have to remain a mystery… He likely left in the same manner that he'd suddenly appeared out there. "Figures… You always were good at disappearing Ryoji…"

* * *

To say Shinji Ikari had no fashion sense was like saying his friend Kensuke had a small man crush on the entire Japanese military. We're talking about a young man who, up until two days ago, owned four articles of clothing that weren't school issued. He had no inkling as to what was in style or what Asuka might find attractive on him. He was thankful he had Misato helping him out as much as she was, taking him clothes shopping and providing suggestions on what he should wear. It was slightly weird taking dating advice from his guardian, weird as hell actually, but he needed help and wasn't going to nitpick over where that aid came from. Misato was really his only option as nobody else even knew he and Asuka were dating. He couldn't ask his own friends for help in the matter. Asuka was still having way too much fun trying to give Toji a stroke.

Shinji examined himself in the mirror, modeling the outfit Misato had suggested for himself. It wasn't anything overly fancy, but formal enough that it wouldn't get you turned away at a nicer restaurant. He could admit that the dark blue seemed to suit him, but on the whole, he had no opinion or even any clue how to assess how he looked. Not that he really cared, as there was only one person whose opinion really mattered to him. And thankfully it would turn out that she approved.

"Not bad Shinji… I can actually see your butt in those slacks…" Asuka smirked from just inside the doorway, making Shinji jump.

"Um, well thanks…" Shinji blushed, losing all his mental capabilities once he looked at the girl. Like him, she wasn't overly dressed, wearing a semi-formal dress, red of course. She looked good enough though, that the sight of her made Shinji nearly swallow his tongue. "Wow… You look… Amazing Asuka…"

"Oh good grief," she smiled in amusement as she walked up to him, and began straightening out his collar. "If this old thing can turn you into goo, how are you going to react when I decide to really get dressed up?"

"Probably pass out when all the blood drains from my brain," Shinji joked as Asuka fidgeted. "It's amazing though… It doesn't seem like it should be possible but every time I see you, you look more beautiful than the last time…" Shinji's face erupted red when he realized what he had said. "That came out wrong…"

"No it didn't," Asuka mumbled, as she turned her blushing face away from his prying eyes. "Stop it with the cheesy stuff okay?"

"I'll try… At least I can promise I won't be corny on purpose anyway…" Shinji's grin faded as his eyes looked upward in the direction of this forehead. "Oh right… I still have to do something with my hair…" Shinji walked over to the dresser, as if marching to his doom, and picked up the comb and styling gel Misato had talked him into buying. Shinji almost look disgusted studying that bottle. Realizing what Shinji was going to do, Asuka swiftly snuck up behind him and seized the hair gel from his hand.

"Oh no you don't! Real men don't put product in their hair!"

"Really? Oh thank god!"

Asuka couldn't help but smile. "If you're going to be seen out on the town with me, you're going to look like a man, not some preppy school boy trying to look like a grown man." Asuka handed the boy his comb back, and he looked at her puzzled. "I didn't say anything about not combing your hair. Just as long as you don't walk out of the bathroom looking like you stuck your head in a vat of grease."

Shinji nodded with a smile before making the trip to the bathroom. Asuka waited semi-patiently for maybe five minutes when Shinji emerged from the restroom, followed by a heavenly scent that just about made Asuka's nostrils break out in song As Shinji shyly moseyed up to her, Asuka startled him by practically burying her nose into his neck. Asuka inhaled from the base of his neck to the back of his ear, shivers surging through his body as she breathed in. Shinji's face erupted into a shade of red previously unseen by mankind.

"Lavender and Vanilla…" Asuka nearly purred. "That's a dangerous combination when you're around me…"

"Yeah, I heard you mention that you liked those scents somewhere," he chuckled sheepishly. "I'm just glad I remembered right and you like the scent…"

"Like it…" Asuka's grin was dangerously mischievous. "If I wasn't so hungry, I'm not sure we would've made it out of the apartment tonight…" Shinji's face reddened again to Asuka's delight. "I never thought you'd be the type to wear cologne though."

"Technically its body-spray, but same difference I guess… Ha, ha… Misato, mentioned that girls like it when guys smelled good so…"

"That we do…" she purred again, making Shinji's heart do somersaults. The girl just seemed abnormally happy as she looped her arms around his, which made his heart flutter in different ways. "So, are you ready to take out the hot foreign chick and become the envy of every teenage boy in Tokyo-3?"

"Yeah… You bet," Shinji smiled, looking down at the floor. "All I have planned is dinner and the movie afterward though… And you're sure you're okay with that?"

"For the tenth time, yes Shinji!" Asuka huffed in mild agitation. "That's just what I'm in the mood for tonight… Besides, it's your first 'real' date, and I wouldn't want you destroying your mind trying to plan anything overly extravagant. Now, how are we getting to the restaurant? Did you call a taxi, or did you actually convince the drunk old crone to lend you the car?"

"Neither… We'll be walking." Asuka didn't look too thrilled, glaring at him questioningly. "The place I picked out is only a few blocks down the road, so there's really no reason to drive…"

Asuka's expression perked back up as if this was an acceptable reason. "It's fine, as long as the food is good…"

"That's what I've heard," he laughed nervously, and would've offered her his arm if she wasn't already clinging to it. "I guess I'm ready to go then if you are…"

"I've been ready for fifteen minutes," Asuka teased. "I sincerely hope keeping me waiting isn't going to become a bad habit for you."

"Some things are worth waiting for Asuka," he said though he didn't mean for it to come across as smug as it had. "That sounded all wrong again… I swear, my brain feels like mush today…"

"Shinji, that's not just today. That's every day," she laughed, as she tugged at his arm.

Again Shinji spoke without thinking. "Yeah… I guess I'll have to get used to my entire body turning into goo whenever I'm around you, at least for a while…"

Looking down at his date for the evening, Shinji was quite puzzled by the blush infecting Asuka's face, and wondered why she was looking off in the other direction. "Asuka, is something wrong?"

"No idiot…" she said softly as she tightened her grip on his arm. "Let's just go before I change my mind!"

"Okay," Shinji nodded his head in agreement. Once they slipped on their shoes, they were off on an evening three years in the making.

* * *

Shinji was spot on about his choice of restaurant being a short walk from the apartment. Shinji kept the reason he'd chosen this particular eatery secret until Asuka looked over the menu, and noticed a section of entrees in her native tongue. The restaurant itself was presented in a casual western style featuring food from several different European countries. Poor Shinji found it a struggle to read most of the menu, as even the description of the meals in Japanese was doing little to help. Luckily for him, his date was either fluent or at least familiar with all four foreign tongues, thus was able to dissuade Shinji from ordering a meal that featured bull testicles. His courage all but destroyed at that point, he played it safe and ordered a German style hamburger after a glowing endorsement from the red-head seated across the table from him.

Always the picky one, Asuka was rather surprised to find the cuisine quite tasty. Her dish wasn't the perfect replica of the food of her homeland, but it was the closest she'd found since leaving Germany. Her meal was good enough that she felt Shinji deserved to be compliment for it. "I'm impressed, that was really good… Usually the Japanese couldn't smoke a bratwurst to save their lives, but the food here is actually good. Nice job Shinji, how did you even find this place?"

"Well…" he blushed faintly. "I wanted to find a place that served German food since I know how much you miss it… I was worried I wouldn't be able to find a restaurant that wasn't crazy expensive, and then I think it took me all of ten minutes to find this place!"

Asuka's eyes lowered towards the table as she fought off the urge to blush herself. She was quite observant, and of course she noticed how considerate Shinji had been towards her the past few days about… Well, everything. A part of her wanted to thank him for it, but she didn't want to gush all over him either. This was okay though… She was confident she could find other was to show her appreciation to him without saying it straight to his face. "You seem to be enjoying dinner yourself… You've about destroyed that hamburger."

"Yeah, it's actually really good…" he said, sounding legitimately surprised. "I'm usually not that big a fan of hamburgers but I like this one…"

"That's because your idea of hamburgers before today were the ones you get at McDonald's! Hamburgers are supposed to made with beef, not raccoon meat!"

"I would certainly hope so…" he smiled as he felt his gut apply more pressure to his belt. "Man, I'm full… I don't think I can eat the rest of this…"

"Just chill out for a moment then… Maybe you'll get a second wind in a couple of minutes and finish it off then…" Asuka finished chewing and swallowed. A voracious grin immediately followed. "So… Yesterday I discovered that you told Wondergirl we were dating now… You could imagine how surprised I was since I thought we weren't telling anybody unless we both agreed to it."

"You know I don't keep things from Rei, Asuka," Shinji replied somewhat defensively. "Besides, I didn't actually tell her anything… She saw the way we'd been acting around each other lately, and figured it out for herself… I just confirmed it for her when she called me out on it."

"Figures… Wondergirl probably has nothing better to do than watch every move big brother makes… How did she react when you confirmed it? I bet she flipped out didn't she?"

"No actually." Shinji blushed, and began wiggling in his chair nervously. "She was quite supportive… She even gave me advice, if you can believe that…"

"No, I can't believe that, or even fathom what kind of dating advice Wondergirl could even offer you!" Asuka's eyes narrowed at the sight of Shinji's face and just how red it was becoming. "What exactly did she say to you?"

"Well, you see… It's not important! It'll just bore you… You know, my appetite is coming back! I think I'll finish my burger now…"

"Hell no you won't!" Asuka pulled Shinji's plate away from him so he couldn't hide behind his dinner. "Not until you share with me this supposed advice Ayanami gave you that's got you so flustered!"

"Okay, okay! Don't be mad but… You know how black and white Rei is about things right? She interprets the primary purpose of two people being in a romantic relationship is for procreation… So, when she found out the two of us were a couple well…"

Asuka's brow rose. "You're not serious are you? Wondergirl was giving you sex advice?"

"Worse…" Glowing red, Shinji couldn't remove his eyes from the table. "She shared with me, as she put it, the best tactics to use to ensure conception on the first try…"

Shinji continued to find the table obsessively interesting, hearing nothing but silence from the other side of the booth. He expected Asuka to be furious with him, and interpreted her silence as confirmation of his doom. Instead of receiving a swat across the head, he heard a faint snicker… A mere second latter, Asuka nearly fell out of the booth laughing.

"It's not funny! It was the single most traumatic moment of my life, and I was at the center of Third Impact! What made the situation even more uncomfortable was when she offered to let me practice on her…"

Asuka stopped laughing, her eyes now as big as saucers. "She did what?!"

" _Damn it!"_ Shinji thought to himself. _"I was supposed to keep that part to myself!"_

"Well baka, answer me! What the hell did you tell her?!"

"I explained to her that it's not appropriate for siblings to have sexual relations with each other, and thankfully, she accepted that and agreed not to offer herself to me in that way in the future…"

Shinji was stuttering all over himself, but Asuka understood what he was saying. As much as she wanted to be mad at him over it, she found his abject embarrassment over Rei's cluelessness was punishment enough for him. Now, as for why he needed to be punished for something he had no control over, well Asuka didn't have a straight answer for that one nor did she care to look for one. "Leave it to Wondergirl to think incest is fun for the whole family…"

"It's not like that Asuka… Rei doesn't know any better, and she's still adjusting to how relationships work with people who aren't trying to use her to reshape the world…"

"I know, I know… It's kind of like programming a robot to feel human emotion isn't it?"

Asuka was a bit too proud of herself over that one. Shinji wasn't amused one bit. "Asuka… I'm not asking you to like Rei or even associate with her. I just want you to respect the fact that she's an important person in my life, and I would appreciate it if you'd try not to put her down so much when I'm in earshot… Please?"

"Fine!" Asuka huffed. "I'll lay off your precious Wondergirl! Just keep in mind that if she makes the mistake of putting her hands or anything else of hers anywhere on you that they don't belong, she's going to be treated just like I would treat any other girl…"

"That's fair enough… Because that won't happen," Shinji assured her. "I take it you're going to be the possessive type hey?"

"Hey, what's mine is mine… Hmph, look at what you've done! You have me all flustered over this Rei thing… Just for that, you're going to have to buy me desert!"

"I would've bought you desert anyway." Shinji's grin faded as Asuka gave him the stink-eye. He immediately went into salvage mood. "But you're right! I was wrong and I need to pay the consequences…"

"Damn right you do."

Asuka eventually smiled at him, helping to ease Shinji's nerves and cause his insides to revolt. He watched in awe as Asuka swiftly downed an entire banana sundae. How the girl could eat like she did and keep that figure of hers was a mystery Shinji wasn't about to question. They left the restaurant, neither really aware they were hand-in-hand. The hike to the movie theater was slightly longer than the walk from the apartment to the restaurant, but the young couple barely noticed. They conversed as they walked, mainly about their friends, Shinji's in particular as he tried his best to convince Asuka they were not baboons in human form. Always the progressive thinker though, Asuka had a ready counter argument to every point Shinji tried to make in their defense, and most of her rebuttals were quite sensible. Shinji was finally forced to give up on defending his friends as they arrived at their destination. It was the same theater Shinji had followed Asuka into after she had dragged him away from his last official date with Aeri. Shinji scrutinized the selection of films, his face tightening in dread as he read the name of one of the films. It was one of those romantic chick flicks, and the movie Shinji assumed Asuka would want to see. Oh well, he could always wait and see what Asuka would chose, no need to unnecessarily lead her towards the choice of 90 minutes of estrogen driven boredom. He peeked over at Asuka, who to his surprise, was staring up at the moving listings with total boredom. Her eyes then rolled slightly to the side and she grinned. Shinji followed her eyes to the marquee of that familiar discount theater Asuka.

"Zombies vs. School Girls?" Shinji blanched at the name. "I can see why it's in the 500 yen theater."

Shinji blanched again as Asuka gave him a coy smile. "Sadly, it sounds better than the crap up there. Wanna check it out?"

"You're not serious? I know we agreed to keep the date casual, but we can afford to go to a regular movie!"

"Meh… No offense Shinji, but Japanese cinema kind of sucks… The one type of film this country does make well are horror movies."

"Maybe… But this doesn't sound like one of those…"

"Probably not, but maybe it'll be cheesy enough to be entertaining…" Asuka smirked again. "Unless you want to spend the next two hours watching lonely women looking for love and talking about their feelings…"

"Ah, no! Zombies are good!"

"Hah," Asuka's look was teasingly dangerous. "And let's not forgot the school girls are undoubtedly wearing extremely short skirts and tight tops. I bet you're not excited about that at all."

"I'm not taking that bait… I may be an idiot but I'm not a moron…"

"We'll, see about that… Now come on!" Asuka pulled him forward towards the ticket both.

The film was everything Shinji and Asuka thought it would be. Horrible acting, bad makeup, generic dialogue, and the special effects couldn't have been worse if they'd used construction paper. Still, somehow the only two people sitting in the theater managed to be entertained by it. Not so much by the movie itself, but rather by poking fun at every glaring absurdity the film had to offer. Asuka had made it her mission, two minutes into the film, to count every last pantie shot. Halfway through the film and she'd already lost count at 48, and there were so many that Asuka was convinced the actresses must've had cameras attached to the back of their shoes pointed upwards towards their skirts. Shinji wisely kept himself out of the underwear talk. Not only were the school girls, all in their late twenties, in a life or death struggle with staggering extras that vaguely resembled people who might pass for a corpse, they also found themselves butting heads with a motorcycle gang whose only real purpose seemed to be ripping off the occasional article of women's clothing, and Zombie fodder. In this one scene in particular, the leader of said gang was chasing one of the heroines out of the creepy farmhouse after trying to have his way with her. The girl ran screaming out into the night, despite her prior knowledge that Zombies had infested the area.

"And there she goes wearing the trifecta," Asuka deadpanned. "Bra, panties, and high heels… That for some reason she hasn't taken off yet so she can run faster."

"She's headed for the car… Which means she should trip and fall about… Right here!" Shinji threw his arms up as she fell on cue. Asuka nearly snorted on her sip of diet coke. The hapless girl shrieked several times as her assailant, who hadn't even made it into the frame until now, suddenly caught up to her. For some reason, despite all her struggling, the young woman couldn't make it to her feet. The biker grabbed her by the legs and dragged her towards him.

"You'll pay for that bitch!" he said generically as he started undoing his belt. Of course he took no notice of, nor could he apparently hear, the moaning humanoid figure approaching him from behind.

"There's one!" Shinji pointed at the screen. "Or is it just an old man, I can't tell? Is it normal for people's skin to turn green after they die?"

Asuka chuckled at this. Before she could comment though, something even more absurd happened on screen. The clueless biker thug turned around just in time to be bitten in the neck by the less than enthusiastic zombie. The entire attack lasted two seconds before the biker dropped dead like a stone, in what was probably the worst display of acting they'd seen yet, and the competition had been fierce.

"Can a Zombie even pass the virus to you if they're wearing denchers?"

Asuka nearly snorted out her coke again. "Damn it Shinji!"

On screen, the heroine was up and running again, still in heels and headed towards her conveniently parked car. Apparently she had either left her keys inside the car or had them hidden in her butt-crack, or at least that's where she seemed to pull them from.

"Now she's going to try to turn the ignition three times and of course the car won't start…"

Asuka added. "The international sign that something or someone is trying to kill you!"

Sure enough, three tries and the engine wouldn't turn. The heroine was in the process of banging on the steering wheel and flipping out when the old-dude dencher wearing Zombie pressed his face against the window. It was about that moment when Shinji felt a kernel of popcorn strike him in the face. He smiled at her playfully. "Hey!"

"You were staring at the screen way too intently," Asuka teased. "The movie's not near interesting enough to be that focused on it, so I can only assume you're staring at her boobs."

"It's not like I have a choice, the camera only focuses in on them every other shot." Sure enough, her cleavage was in full focus as the heroine reared back from the Zombie who had somehow managed to break the car window but softly pushing on it, the camera too catching a nice rump shot as she fled the vehicle, only for her to take two steps and fall down again. "So, is this movie officially cheesy enough to be entertaining?"

"Meh… Maybe if you're a horny teenage stooge…. You must be tickled pink I imagine."

"I can take it or leave it… Being here with you is the only thing making it interesting to begin with…"

Asuka looked over at him, curiosity in her eyes and a light pink hue on her cheeks. "Really? So you're saying I can make awful things interesting?"

"Well… Yeah, being with you makes sitting through an awful movie more fun… But really, I was just trying to say I'm more interested in you than the movie anyway!"

The pink turned to scarlet as she spun her head around. Facing the direction opposite his to face, she smiled… "Idiot… I bet the Third Child is thinking he's so smooth…"

Shinji looked honestly confused. "Smooth? If I'm being smooth it's completely by accident, believe me."

Asuka couldn't help but laugh at him. "You know, I'm inclined to believe you…"

Asuka returned her attention to the movie, though only briefly before her mind began to wander. She was having a great time all things considered, but there was still a certain specter hanging over her head, like an anvil the size of a truck held in place by the thinnest strand of rope ready to break at any second. Aeri wasn't normally someone Asuka would sweat in the slightest. The bimbo couldn't hold a candle to her as far as Asuka was concerned. The only thing Aeri could hold over Asuka's head was that she got to Shinji first… And even though their relationship was short-lived, she couldn't help but wonder just how much the two had enjoyed each other's company. "Shinji… How far exactly did you go with Aeri?"

Shinji nearly jumped out of his seat, and started to panic before his butt even landed back on the cushion. "Wha… What exactly do you mean by how far?"

"How far could you fling her across a soccer field? What do you think I mean?! Exactly how intimate did you guys get? Were you swapping spit? Fondling each other's business? Did you manage to charm the pants off her and into your bed?"

"Where is this coming from?!" Shinji gargled, glowing blood red. "We only had a couple of dates, and one of them you torpedoed before we even got started! We never had a chance to get far enough to do anything physical… The most we did was hold hands, and that was mostly her dragging me along wherever she was headed. Besides, I was never sure she was the girl I wanted to do that kind of stuff with, you know… I never really gave any thought to taking my relationship with her to that level…"

Asuka studied him to determine whether or not she thought he was lying. Shinji was horrible at it after all, and Asuka wasn't easy to deceive. Satisfied he was speaking the truth, she smiled, but it soon morphed into a more predatory grin. "I suppose that means you two never made out in a dark movie theater?"

"That's a safe assumption yes," Shinji answered, assuming her question was serious. One look at her face convinced him he was wrong, causing the boys cheeks to redden in response. "Oh…"

Shinji had no time to brace himself before Asuka's lips crashed into his, the red-head cupping his face in her hands. Shinji reciprocated quickly, giggling briefly at the taste combo of cola and butter. Needless to say, the movie became an afterthought as all that was on the two teens minds were one another. Asuka's kiss was as fiery and demanding as every kiss they'd shared previously, but as her efforts intensified, they were filled with an undeniable longing… No, a demand for something deeper that only he was going to be able to quench. The feeling both frightened and excited him. The German's hands wandered pretty much anywhere they damn well pleased, strategically molding the boy into putty. Before they knew it, twenty minutes had passed, and Asuka could've asked him to cut off his own arm and beat himself to death with it, and Shinji gladly would've complied. Luckily, her request was much simpler, though just a terrifying. Breathlessly she looked up into his eyes, and immediately recognized that he was hers. "Take me home Shinji…"

"Okay…" He agreed mindlessly, and they quickly left the theater behind.

The young couple walked home at a leisurely pace, their hands and arms intertwined, almost as if they were trying to mold within one another. They didn't speak much on the way back to the apartment, they didn't have too. Shinji almost felt as if he were floating through the lobby, up the elevator, and down the hall towards Misato's apartment. The teens never once detached themselves until they were over the threshold of the apartment. After slipping his shoes off, Shinji searched around for any signs that Misato might be home… The lack of empty beer cans and dirty dishes strewn about hinted she had not been home.

"Hey Asuka, it looks like Misato is working late again. Did you want too…" The poor boy never knew what hit him. No wait, yes he did. It was a red-headed Leopard pouncing on him as if he were an injured gazelle. Completely at the predator's mercy, Shinji was forced against the wall as Asuka's lips crashed into his with all her fury. Helpless, all Shinji could do was accept his fate as Asuka claimed him. Unsatisfied with merely his lips, she claimed the rest of his mouth, probing her tongue deep inside until the nagging need of oxygen forced her to part from him. Asuka pressed on, attacking his neck and upon tasting of the soft flesh, eventually rediscovered the spot she'd found the other night. She ravaged him there as he rived against the wall, as something primal in his own body began to stir and eventually overtook him. He then started to defend himself. Prying Asuka off of him, he forced her against the wall and violated her in the exact way she had just done to him. Asuka's fire only seemed to heightened and she latched on to him, her legs around his torso as her arms cradled the back of his neck. Shinji shifted his attention to the German's neck just as she had to him, and he found her just as sensitive there as he was… Only difference was that Asuka was much louder and emphatic about it. In that moment, three years of pent up frustration and desire were threatening to spill all over the apartment, and it didn't appear that anything was capable of stopping the explosion. Except for Shinji himself, who came back to reality when he finally noticed what Asuka was wearing… Or rather what she wasn't wearing which was anything other than her undergarments. She was leaving little to the imagination as to what she was planning on doing to him that night. The look in his eyes was slightly panicked. Asuka caught her breath and quickly got angry.

"What?! Don't you dare tell me that you're stupid enough to turn me down twice?!"

"Nobody's that stupid…" Shinji smiled. "I'm giving you one last chance to change your mind… Much more of this, and I doubt I'm going to able to stop myself…"

"That's the point idiot…" Asuka spoke softly. Not willing to wait and risk further argument, Asuka led Shinji into her room by his shirt and once inside, slammed the door shut behind them.

End of Chapter 16

 _You know, I'm pretty sure I made up School Girls vs. Zombies, but sadly it sounds like something that probably actually exists somewhere. I'm too terrified to google it._


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

The first time was an experience neither Asuka nor Shinji would ever forget… Mainly because it was awkward, painful, and embarrassingly short... The second time, which happened a few minutes following the first, was everything you could dream the first time should be like. By the end of the night, both where more than satisfied both physically and emotionally, that the remaining barriers between them had finally been smashed. They weren't just some hormone-driven horny teenagers in puppy love. What they had was real, something forged over three years of working and living together, and learning to accept the other for what they were. It wasn't that they necessarily needed to go that far to prove it to one another, or even themselves. The fire had just been burning so long that it needed to be quenched sooner than later before it engulfed the both of them.

It was barely 9:00pm by the time the two of them were too exhausted to continue, and neither would leave that bed for the remainder of the night. They didn't even seem to give any consideration that Misato could arrive home and find them in bed together at any moment. Maybe they didn't care, or maybe they just figured Misato would simply hoot and snap a picture of them. Asuka snuggled up to him as tightly as she could, not yet willing to relinquish the closeness they'd shared. They sleepily conversed for quite a while before slowly fading to sleep. It would take a long time before Asuka would ever admit this aloud, but that night was the most peaceful night sleep she'd had in… Well, since her life before Eva.

Asuka awoke the next morning to a familiar aroma… One so heavenly the scent nearly pulled her out of bed like a Bugs Bunny cartoon, and it yanked her into the kitchen. Asuka stretched and smiled, wondering why Shinji would be frying sausage and bacon again so soon after… Then she realized that she wasn't in her bed… And that she was naked. She instantly remembered the night before… Their first time, and she ran the entire sequence through her head frame-by-frame. It didn't take that long, maybe twenty seconds at best. Then, she played the second time over in her head, which took considerably longer. So much so that she laid back down and let her mind race, remembering his touch, his kiss, his body against hers… Inside of her, those images causing gradual but potent reactions from those parts of her body that were most affected the night before. If he'd still been laying there next to her, he just might have found himself forced to satisfy those needs again… She then smirked, as she thought to herself, _"He might not be next to me right now, but that doesn't mean I can't bring him to me…"_

Shinji was hard at work in the kitchen, determined to surprise Asuka with the most exquisite breakfast he could muster with what he had available. It seemed an appropriate follow-up to the night before. He had just slapped several strips of bacon on the pan when he discovered he was no longer the only person in the house awake. "You didn't have to go all out for breakfast you know? Last night wasn't that bad… It wasn't bad at all actually."

Shinji blushed down at his frying pan before turning to face the girl he'd been slaving over the stove for. He nearly hit himself in the face with the spatula when he saw the naked goddess creeping up behind him looking much too perky for that time of morning, not to mention evil. Almost on instinct, Shinji backed up against the counter as Asuka crept closer eventually pressing her body to his. "Not that I don't appreciate the gesture, or that I'm not hungry but…" She used one hand to shut off the burner, as her other arm wrapped around his neck. "There's something else I need you to satisfy before my hunger…"

"But… I'm already half way through… If I stop now I'll… have…" Shinji stiffened as Asuka started working on his neck. "I'll… Just have to start from scratch I guess…"

Asuka giggled into his neck. She quickly grabbed him by the hands and pulled him towards the bedroom.

* * *

Misato arrived home in the early afternoon following a long night of work and the subsequent all night partying that followed. Well, not so much partying as coping with stress, and there was so much coping in fact, that she was forced to crash at Maya's place as she lived barely a block from the bar… Err uh, the stress management meeting she had attended. She made a valiant attempt at soldiering through work the next day, and made it to about noon before all that coping caught up with her. She was at least semi-alert when she hobbled into the apartment, enough so to notice Asuka hanging out in the kitchen, humming contently to herself… Yes, Asuka was humming… And she looked happy. Misato had to adjust her eyes to reassure herself that she'd walked into the right apartment. "Asuka?"

"Well, look who finally dragged themselves back home… You usually manage to at least stagger your way home the same night you leave the house, so you must've had one hell of a bender last night. Did you find a nice ditch to sleep in?"

"Yeah, that's definitely you," Misato groaned as she pushed passed the red-head and headed towards her bedroom. Shinji came out of his room after hearing his guardian's voice.

"Misato, there you are?! I was starting to get worried… Asuka's been trying to convince me that you were lying face down in a ditch someone…"

"I'm sure she has," Misato glanced at the smirking red-head. "I'm perfectly fine though, and now I'm home so there's nothing to worry about. I had a hard night last night, so I crashed at Maya's for the evening."

"By Maya's she means the gutter behind the bar…"

"You mention the words ditch or gutter one more time, and I'll have you running twenty laps around the Geofront before your next sync test!" Misato threatened as Asuka merely shrugged, smirking behind the glass of tea she'd been drinking.

"Come on now ladies, let's play nice," Shinji said in such a way that it drew a stare from his guardian. He sounded so confident and relaxed… With Asuka in the same room even! "Since you're home, why don't I go ahead and make lunch? Is there anything in particular you'd like?"

"No, I'm not really hungry… I think I'm going to lay down for a bit…" she said to this boy who seems to have grown up so much in the span of a couple of weeks. While she was happy for him and pleased to see him breaking free from his shell, she couldn't help but worry for the scared little boy she'd come to love, wondering if he was still lost somewhere within the strapping young man in front of her.

"Alright, please let me know if you need anything…" Misato watched with interest as Shinji walked up to Asuka and placed his hand upon her shoulder… Not only did the offending appendage avoid being mangled, but Asuka actually smiled at him. "And what about you?"

"Surprise me."

"I already surprised you with breakfast!"

"And now you get to surprise me with lunch. What a fantastic day this has been for you hey?"

With a grin, Shinji put his mouth next to Asuka's ear. "Yeah, it really has been… Throw in last night, and this has probably been the best twenty-four hours of my life."

Asuka's response was to blush, and turn her head in hopes that Shinji wouldn't be able to see the reaction he'd gotten out of her. "Idiot… Perverted idiot…"

Still watching the kids, and every bit more intrigued by how they were behaving around one another, Misato's lips curved upward dangerously. "My, don't you two look chummy. What were you guys up too while I was gone? Making babies?"

Now both of the kid's cheeks were burning hotter than the sun. Shinji jumped, and squawked something undecipherable in his defense. Seeming to realize this, the boy conceded by hanging his head in embarrassment. Misato adored the reaction, for after all, this was the Shinji she knew and loved. Asuka, also embarrassed, quickly gathered herself and stuck her nose up defiantly. "Don't be ridiculous! How irresponsible do you think we are?!... We used protection!"

Misato opened her mouth, a retort ready, only for her jaw to hit the ground. Asuka's smug expression told Misato she'd been had. "You little… Okay you win… I have no comeback for that. Seriously though you two… It's good to see you both so happy. I hope I get to see a lot more of it…"

Asuka, now as embarrassed as Shinji, tried to sink away from her guardian. Shinji tried to shrink farther away still. Misato could only smile, and surprisingly the headache that had been plaguing her all morning had relented. "I think I'm going to take that nap now kids… No funny business while I'm asleep though! I better not be woken up by the sounds a porno movie breaking out in my apartment!"

"Just go take your nap you old perv!" Asuka huffed, Misato laughing as she disappeared into her room. She must've been tired, as she didn't bother to grab herself a beer for the trip. Shinji looked over at the red-head with questions in his eyes.

"Lucky for us Misato thought you were joking… What if she believed you though?"

Asuka shrugged her shoulders. "She bought it, so don't worry about it… Relax, I know what I'm doing. Your girlfriend is a genius after all!"

Shinji smiled, mere nanoseconds before his brain nearly shut down. _"Girlfriend!... Well, I suppose she is… I just didn't have the guts to just assume that, but hearing her say it herself… Wow, I actually have a girlfriend and it's Asuka of all people! The closest I ever got to a girlfriend before was…"_

"Oh shit…"

"What's the matter?" Asuka asked in slight agitation, noticing his expression cycle between stunned, giddy, and horrified in a span of about five seconds.

"Aeri… I haven't broken things off with her yet…"

"What?! You told me two weeks ago that you were going to stop seeing her! What? Did you chicken shit out, and not go through with it?!"

"No, nothing like that… To be honest, I haven't seen or even spoken to her since… Since the day before the now infamous sync test…"

Asuka looked skeptical. "You're telling me you haven't had any contact for days with the girl you've been dating?"

"Yes…" Shinji hung his head in shame, his cheeks burning like someone had taken a blow torch to them. "With everything that's happened between us, I just sort of… Forgot about her…"

Translation, Asuka had made Shinji forget all about Aeri. This revelation brought her own blush to her cheeks, as well as a smug grin as she crossed her arms against her chest. "Damn right you did… You still have to straighten things out with her though. Next time you do see her, I don't want her thinking it's okay to be hanging all over you like she does… Otherwise she might find her arms broken…"

"There's no need for violence," Shinji laughed though only half joking. "I'll let her know the next time I see her, that I can't go out with her anymore…"

Asuka shook her head. "That's not good enough… You have her number right? Then call her right now and be done with it."

"I can't break up with her over the phone! I have to tell her face to face… She deserves that much…"

"Fine! Then call her and set up a time to meet so you can talk! Just stop brushing it off and do it now! I don't like the thought of another woman thinking she has some kind of claim to you…"

"I can't just rush into the phone call Asuka… I need time to figure out what I'm going to tell her first… It's not like this kind of thing is going to be easy for me…"

Asuka was not pleased. She growled under breath rather than lashing out as she turned away from him. "Fine! Take a few minutes to figure out how you're going to dump her ass, but just remember that I'm going to be on your ass until you finally go through with it!"

"Dumped is kind of a strong word don't you think? It seems rather mean and unnecessary…"

"It's mean and unnecessary," Asuka mocked in an exaggerated whiny voice. "Dumping her is exactly what you're doing! Guys do it to girls all the time! Hell, this probably isn't the first she's been dumped!"

"I'm sorry, but I'm not going about this like I'm dumping her… She hasn't done anything wrong by me, so I'm not going to be mean or callous to her about it. I'm just breaking things off with her, because I just don't feel about her the way I do you."

"Call it whatever you want if it helps you coddle your conscious, just as long as you do it!"

Something odd happened from Shinji's perspective. That angry glower Asuka was pointing at him didn't frighten him like it once had… Right now, it just puzzled him. He couldn't understand why she was getting worked up, or why she was in such a hurry for Shinji to officially break up with Aeri. Shinji was just smart enough though to figure it out eventually, once he took a moment to think the situation over from her point of view… Despite her outward demeanor, Asuka was secretly a very insecure person… She also hated competition of any kind, as he had discovered after meeting the red-head when she started trying so diligently to grind his confidence and self-worth into dust in order to ensure she remained NERV's top Eva pilot. While Shinji didn't consider Aeri competition to Asuka, Aeri was just nowhere near even an arm's length away from touching the heart Asuka now owned. Shinji was beginning to understand more about his German lover every day, and he now knew that to make this work, he was going to have to commit himself to her wholeheartedly. Shinji had no illusions that Asuka wouldn't want any ties he might have to any potential rivals severed, if anything he guessed, just to assure her that he wasn't going to change his mind and go running off to Aeri. In other words, Asuka was dead-set on crushing Aeri beneath her feet as quickly as possible.

"You're right, I'll go ahead and call her…" Asuka looked shocked that he'd cave in so quickly. She'd fully expected to have to fight through at least several days of procrastinating and backpedaling. "You're my priority, and if you're not going to feel comfortable until I cut ties with Aeri, then that's what I need to do."

Asuka's heart paid a visit to her throat. Shinji had hit the nail right on the head, but Asuka wasn't about to give him credit for that if it mean she looked weak in the process. "I'm not on you to do this because I feel uncomfortable! It's more for Aeri's benefit, so you don't string the poor girl along…"

"Right, because you're so concerned about Aeri's feelings… But I see your point. Let's get this over with…" Shinji marched over to the phone and picked up the receiver, doing extremely well until his fingers were in pressing distance from the numerically labeled digits. From his location he proceeded to stare down the device as if he were searching for its core so he could destroy it. Lucky for him, sort of, his new girlfriend was right bbehind him to provide the motivation he needed to make the call. Not pissing Asuka off would soon become the motivation Shinji needed to do any number of things he never imagined himself doing before.

"What's the problem? Did you leave your balls in your sock drawer again? Make the call already!"

"Alright, alright, I'm doing it!" Shinji dialed the number and put the receiver to his ear. It rang once, then twice, and then a third… By the sixth ring, Shinji conceded no one was going to answer. He pulled the phone away from his ear and glared at it as if it were somehow the phone's fault no one picked up on the other line. "No answer… I guess she's not home."

"Does she have a cell phone you can try?"

"Not that I'm aware of… I'll try the home number one more time…" Sure enough, there was no answer the second try either ,even after allowing the number of rings to reach double digits. Asuka was growing increasingly annoyed by the second. One, she wanted Shinji to end his relationship with Aeri as quickly as humanly possible, and even more still because of how concerned Shinji looked each time the phone rang with no response.

"Oh, don't look all worried like she's been abducted or something… She's probably just out… I'm sure there's more going on in her life than just you, home, and school!"

"I know, you're probably right… It just worries me that I haven't seen or even spoken to her in almost two weeks. I haven't even noticed her at school… It's really weird when you think about it…"

"Awe, that's so sweet of you to worry about her." Asuka's sarcasm wasn't subtle in the least.

"Of course I'm worried… Regardless of where our relationship stands, I still care about her well-being… Having not heard a peep out of her in nearly two week's freaks me out a little bit…"

"And yet, her whereabouts weren't important enough for you to worry yourself with until this very moment…" The sharp glare Shinji returned in Asuka's direction annoyed her, but strangely seemed successful in getting her to back off. "Whatever… Look, if you're 'so' worried, then why don't you ask around the school about her? I'm sure someone's seen her or at least heard from her. Maybe she's been around this entire time, and you just haven't noticed. You have spent most of these past two weeks in and out of the hospital and the NERV slammer. Seeing as you've neglected to so much as call or contact her in anyway, for all you know, she might think you're the one whose turned up missing."

"I…" Shinji wanted to argue, but couldn't find a viable reason to do so. Asuka's logic made too much sense. "I'll ask around between classes tomorrow… I've never met any of her classmates, but I'm bound to bump into someone who knows if I bug enough people."

"If it'll make you feel better, I'll put some feelers out myself and see what I can find out," Asuka offered begrudgingly, as she crossed her arms. "If for any reason, just because the quicker you find her, the quicker you can dump her and be done with it!"

"That's not the only reason I want to find her Asuka," Shinji said with a sigh. "But once we establish she's okay, then yes, I will do what I have to do…"

"Damn right you will. Now come with me," Asuka ordered in a tone that suggested no tolerance for defiance. Shinji looked befuddled when Asuka grabbed his hand and started leading him towards her room. "What are we doing?"

"Misato said no funny business didn't she?" Asuka's grin was pure evil. "For me, that's essentially an invitation."

"But… We can't! Not with Misato right down the hall, she'll hear us!"

"Then you'll just have to bite your lip and try not to scream my name too loudly… Besides, Misato's hung-over which means a freight train could pass through the living room, and she wouldn't even bother to turn over."

"Yeah… But… I…" His feeble attempts at resistance were ignored as the young couple disappeared behind the door of Asuka's bedroom. Later at dinner, Misato would inquire on how Shinji received the fat bloody lip.

* * *

As it would turn out, the search for Aeri was literally over before it even got started. Aeri had called Shinji herself later that evening, and just as Asuka had suggested, worried out of her mind over Shinji's well-being after two weeks without contact. He endured the verbal lashing from his worried friend for not getting in touch with her, and then apologized profusely in classic Shinji Ikari fashion. Asuka struggled desperately not to vomit throughout the exchange. Finally, Shinji got Aeri to agree to meet him after school the next day so they could talk… Shinji wasn't certain, but he had his suspicions that Aeri sensed something wasn't right. Whether she had or not, he would soon find out that afternoon, leaving school immediately so he could meet up with Aeri in the location she had requested. She never did explain why she hadn't been at school that day, but none of that really mattered at the moment. His only concerns were finding Aeri and clearing the air, hopefully without hurting her feelings too awfully bad, and making sure Asuka didn't mangle him for dragging his feet on the subject. So determined was Asuka to ensure Shinji didn't Shinji out of his obligation, she decided to accompany him to the rendezvous point. Shinji hadn't quite decided if his new girlfriend's presence was comforting or intimidating… Probably both actually, but ultimately he decided it was a good thing to have her next to him for support. By himself, Shinji-ing out was always a possibility.

"Promise me you'll at least try to be nice…" Shinji requested then thought better of it. "Actually, you don't even have to try! Just don't be mean, or rub it in her face or anything… I don't want to hurt her any more than necessary."

"I already promised I'd keep my mouth shut! Besides, I don't have to say anything… I just want to be present so she can see firsthand that you've upgraded."

Shinji had his doubts about that, and for good reason… Keeping her opinions to herself wasn't exactly one of Asuka's strong points. "Exactly… I've already made it perfectly clear to you that Aeri can't hold a candle to you, so there really is no need to reinforce the issue okay? Please?"

"I disagree… I really don't expect the fan-girl to realize her place at all. She already made the mistake of going after something that's mine. Personally, I feel she should suffer for it, but since you have to be mister nice guy…"

Despite Asuka's aim to relent to him under the veil of arguing with him, Shinji couldn't help but smirk. "We weren't a couple when Aeri and I were dating, so I wasn't technically yours at the time…"

"You were always mine…" Asuka pointed out as if this fact was the most obvious thing in the world. "It's not my fault that you were just too stupid to realize it…"

Shinji glared at her briefly before a smile gradually formed across his lips. Asuka grunted triumphantly, as she angled her nose upward towards the sky. They walked in relative silence the rest of way, though it wasn't long before they arrived at the street corner Aeri had suggested they meet. Both were surprised, and more than a little confused as the only landmark in sight was an old car park filled with a wide range of rusty old cars and a wide variety of other motorized clunkers. Old tires, tools, and auto parts surrounded the decaying automobiles. The place appeared to be a car junkyard of sorts ,where forgotten vehicles were stripped for parts while what couldn't be salvaged was prepped for proper disposal. The facility appeared to have been abandoned and forgotten after Third Impact.

"Why the hell would Aeri want to meet you here?" Asuka narrowed her eyes at Shinji. "Did you get lost, and forget where you're going?!"

"No! I swear this is the place!"

It was the right place alright, but unbeknownst to Shinji, this spot was chosen because it was secluded and no one would blink twice at or even notice any type of damage or disruption at an abandoned auto salvage yard. A pair of vengeful eyes watched him from afar as her fingers clenched the wiring of the chain-link fence that surrounded the salvage yard. "I knew it! I knew that's why I haven't heard from him lately, because he's been with her… He even has the audacity to bring her along! That's fine though… If that's how you want to play things Ikari, then if anything happens to your precious red-head, the responsibility falls squarely on your shoulders!"

"I guess we should look around and see if Aeri's here," Shinji suggested, beginning to worry that maybe he had misunderstood her. Asuka, reacting instinctively, looped her arm around Shinji's, posturing for any potential meeting wither her riv… Er, the over excited fan-girl. Shinji's eyes questioned her momentarily before deciding to take it in stride as they began their search for Aeri. They searched the perimeter of the auto yard for several minutes with no sign of her, leading Shinji to reluctantly decide to search for her inside the salvage yard. Why she'd be inside, Shinji hadn't the foggiest clue, but then he had no other clues to suggest she was anywhere else either.

"This is a waste of time," Asuka complained after several minutes of fruitless searching. She'd let go of Shinji by this point, confident they weren't going to be meeting Aeri anytime soon. "You must've misunderstood when she told you where to meet her! Who the hell in their right mind would be hanging out in a junkyard?!"

"Nobody I know…" Shinji relented as he scanned around him. "You're right though, meeting Aeri here doesn't make any sense at all…"

"Really now? Are you so dense that the symbolism of this place escapes you?" The familiar voice caused Shinji's head to snap around in time to see Aeri emerge from a stack of several shelled out cars. She stopped, giving Shinji a side profile of herself before she turned to face the boy standing roughly twenty feet away. Oddly enough, she was wearing her school uniform despite not having been to school in recent days. "I think a scrap yard is the perfect setting considering your intentions are to toss me on the scrap heap, are they not?"

Shinji turned white as he stammered for a response, while Asuka glared at Aeri with visible hate showing all over her face. "What? You knew? About Asuka and me?"

"Of course I knew!" Aeri laughed as if that were the stupidest thing she'd ever heard. The tone in her voice was off too, sounding much more calculating and stoic than her usual happy-go-lucky patterns of speech. She almost sounded like a completely different person and that crept Shinji out more than a little bit. "I knew from the second we met, to our first date, to our last date when she barged in and drug you off, and you didn't even bother to so much as give me a second look! I'm not an imbecile! I always knew who you were seeing while you were looking through me! Well you finally got her, the girl of your dreams hey? You were so proud I guess, that you just had to bring her along just to rub it in as you dumped me in front of her!"

"That's not it at all! She came along with me for support, to make sure I kept my nerve and did the right thing… I'm sorry Aeri,, but I didn't want to tell you this over the phone… If I knew you already knew about us…"

"You would've done what Shinji? You could've avoided the inconvenience of having to look me in the eye while you tossed me aside, so you could ride off into the sunset with Red over here sporting a clear conscious while I was left holding the phone?" Aeri, who'd been slowly creeping forward, had less than a foot now standing between herself and the object of her obsession. "I deserve better than that Shinji! I deserve a damn explanation!"

"Allow me to sum it up for you," Asuka offered, having watched silently to that point but deciding to interject as she didn't like how closely Aeri was now standing to Shinji. "Shinji simply wanted better than you could offer him… Why settle for a rusty old Gremlin, when you can ride in a Ferrari?"

"Shut up Soryu! I'm speaking with Shinji, our conversation doesn't concern you!"

"It has everything to do with me!" Asuka looked ready to pounce on her fellow red-head, and just might have if Shinji hadn't held his arm out to stop her. She glared at him, her eyes conveying the threat to rip the appendage off his person if he didn't move it that second. When she saw his eyes though, how they almost pleaded with her, she calmed down enough to listen to what he had to say.

"Let me handle this Asuka, please… I need to handle this, like I should have two weeks ago… I can't keep running or hiding behind somebody else when a situation gets difficult… We're never going to work out if I do…"

Asuka wasn't exactly content to do so, that was for damn sure. Regardless, Shinji's logic cut through her pride, and she submitted by backing up a few feet to give him and Aeri some space, albeit she did so with a defiant grunt and a scowl. "Fine then… If she starts something with me though, I am going to finish it!"

"That's what I'm trying to avoid…" Shinji turned away from one angry red-head to face another. Aeri didn't seem quite as angry as Asuka though. Aeri appeared more… Determined, if you will, her eyes burrowing into him as if trying to figure out who Shinji Ikari really was. Aeri's demeanor was quite the departure from the bubbly girl that had caught his eye all those weeks ago… It was as if she turned into an entirely different person once Aeri learned Shinji and Asuka's relationship had evolved passed the stage of an adolescent, Eva centric, pissing contest. "I do owe you an explanation, and that's why I'm here Aeri! I wanted to explain myself to you in person instead of…"

"Damn right you need to explain yourself to me, because I don't understand! I fashioned myself to be the perfect woman for you! My hair is the same as hers, my body curves in all the same ways! I even have European features! How was I still not enough for you?!"

"Wha... What the hell are you talking about?!" Shinji asked as he stared at Aeri as if her skin had just turned green while her head began rotating.

Aeri didn't seem to hear him, or maybe she just didn't care. Her rant continued. "I was prideful and Independent, but did so all in a way that I didn't come across as bitchy or superior. I coddled you, I put you on a pedestal… I tried to show you the admiration and affection you've always craved but never received. I was literally everything the Second Child was, and everything she wasn't! I was perfectly designed for you Shinji Ikari… You should've been eating out of the palm of my hand!"

Shinji was speechless… Dumbstruck and he still had no clue what the holy hell Aeri was talking about. She just wasn't making sense. Fortunately, Asuka wasn't quite so tongue-tied. She reclaimed the space she'd originally given them, taking her place by Shinji's side. "You made yourself out to look and act like me? What are you, some kind of sick stalker freak?!"

"Shut your mouth Second Child…" Aeri snarled without taking her eyes off of an increasingly uncomfortable Shinji.

"Don't you dare refer to me by my designation, you have no right! And don't tell me to shut up either!"

"Agreed, telling you to do anything is utterly pointless… Seeing as you're incapable of closing that boorish mouth of yours voluntary… I'll just have to shut it for you!"

An invisible force cut through the air, stealing the breath from the lungs of both Shinji and Asuka as it made contact with their chests, forcing them to their knees. No sooner had they hit the dirt did Asuka feel herself being lifted off the ground, rising quickly several meters into the air. Asuka was left dangling briefly before she was sent hurdling backward, only stopping when her back slammed against a rusty scaffolding surrounded by a mound of twisted metal. Wire and electrical cord raced towards her from every corner of the scrap yard, quickly reaching their target. They slithered like snakes up and down her limbs, coiling around her arms, wrists, and legs effectively binding her to the scaffolding. A few strands of wire even violated her hair, snapping her head back against the steel none too gently, essentially forcing the girl to look straight forward directly at Aeri and Shinji, a rare look of pure terror on her face.

"What are you doing to her?! Stop it, damn it!" Shinji tried to force his way forward towards Aeri, but the more he struggled against the force holding him at bay, the harder he found it to breathe. Try he did though, until his body completely gave out and his face hit the ground. It was all he could do to roll his head to the side, and look up at their attacker. "Aeri, please stop this!"

"Awe, does Shinji miss his lady friend already?… Then allow me to take you to her!" Shinji's eyes snapped wide as now his body was lifted into the air several meters, at a velocity that nearly made him vomit. He was turned upright, and just as Asuka before him, was sent backwards toward the scaffolding. He made contact directly next to Asuka, who looked on in horror as Shinji was bound to the rusted metal just as she had been, his face also forced to look forward.

"Shinji?! Are you alright!? Shinji!"

"I'm okay I think… How are you hanging in there?..." Shinji couldn't quite see her face but he could feel the scowl she was giving him. He knew he deserved it too. "Sorry, bad choice of words…"

"What the hell is going on Shinji?! How is she doing this?! What the hell is she even?!"

"Oh please Second Child, someone as allegedly brilliant as yourself should've been able to figure that one out by now…" The pilots were in for another shock as Aeri compounded their confusion by literally floating towards them in midair. She stopped mere feet away, looking over them, analyzing these inferior creatures she had learned to despise. "Heck, both of you should be able to recognize an AT field when you encounter one…"

"AT field…" Shinji wondered if he'd just heard the girl right. The very idea of it was so ludicrous that he couldn't even manage to look shocked by her claim. "But… To be able to use you're AT field like that you'd have to be…"

"You don't have to say that world if it's too difficult Shinji," Aeri cooed far too sweetly. Suddenly, her eyes turned red as her flaming red ponytail turned white. Both Shinji and Asuka turned white themselves, though in hindsight, Aeri's true identity made perfect sense… Yet her existence made none.

"This isn't possible…" That was all Shinji could say, literally shaking in fear as Aeri moved in closer. Close enough to touch her forehead to his, and act usually meant to offer comfort or affection, and here this woman was using it purely for intimidation.

"Allow me to ask you a question of my own Third Child… How many of my brothers and sisters have you killed?" The horrified boy couldn't bring himself to answer. "Trick question… The answer is all of them!... I'm all that's left now… I was forced to watch as one by one you and your friends cut my siblings down… And all they were trying to do was remove a cancer that was killing this world."

"Aeri…" Shinji mouthed still in disbelief, as Aeri lowered her face to look directly into his. "I swore revenge on all that were involved, but especially you Third Child… You're the one who wounded my family most of all, so extracting vengeance on you has consumed me ever since Tabris betrayed us and his consequent fall." Aeri said as she gently stroked her fingers along Shinji's jaw. Enraged, Asuka struggled against her restraints. If she could only manage to get an arm free, the hand attached would undoubtedly be clasping Aeri's throat. "Simply killing you wasn't enough however… A quick demise wouldn't bring me anywhere close to the gratification I desired… I wanted more than just your miserable life… I wanted to destroy your mind, your heart, and your soul… So I came to you disguised as a human woman perfectly suited for you. As I was aware that your heart was so dedicated to this loathsome creature next to you, I modeled my appearance after her and adopted the mannerisms of hers that I felt you would find most desirable… After I caught your eye and gradually made you fall hopelessly in love with me, only then would I reveal my true self to you… That way, as you suffered through your final tortuous moments of life, you could die with the knowledge that the person you loved the most was going to end you… And thoroughly enjoyed doing it…"

Aeri now looked disgusted as she floated backward a couple of feet to get a better view of both of her captives. "My mistake was underestimating the hold you have on the boy Second Child… Despite all my efforts, he kept gravitating back towards you, even when the two of you have every reason in the world to hate each other. Explain this to me Shinji… I offered you everything you ever could've wanted out of Asuka minus all the baggage… You should've been eating out of the palm of my hand... My mere existence as a perfectly suitable mate for you should've been more than enough to wean you off of any delusions you may have had of developing a romantic relationship with this woman… Yet, somehow here you are… Together, despite all my efforts, and all my planning… It makes no sense to me! My knowledge of humans and their tendencies is unrivaled, and you in particular I've studied more closely than all others Third Child. Explain to me how I got it so wrong… You were a cowardly introvert desperate for acceptance, while she was emotionally fragile, inflicted with a deeply ingrained reflex to push away anyone that tries to get too close… Her personality should've devoured someone like you, and it should've been impossible for the two of you to have been anything greater than indifferent acquaintances, though truthfully you two shouldn't have been experiencing any emotion other than outright revulsion for one another. For the longest time, it appeared as if the latter was correct, but now it's obvious my analysis was incorrect. What changed? What did I miss? Explain this to me now!"

"We changed you white-haired freak!" Asuka answered, showing tremendous poise and courage, which was probably ill-advised considering the situation she found herself in. "Your little field study, or whatever the hell you want to call it, assumed we were just going to stay the way we were back when we met three years ago… You didn't take into account that we might grow up some, or discover that what was important to us when we were fourteen, isn't what's important to us now… Your alleged 'unrivaled' knowledge of human tendencies is a load of crap if you're just going to assume your variable will always remain constant!"

"Of course I took human adaptation into account, especially considering your adolescent ages! I've studied humans enough though to realize that your species rarely changes all that much. What makes the two of you so different than how you were three years ago?"

After a pregnant pause, Shinji and Asuka looked at each other the best they could through their restraints. Their answers came surprisingly easy to them. Shinji went first. "I got tired of feeling sorry for myself… And realized that nothing good was just going to fall into my lap while I hid in the shadows hoping the world wouldn't see me and just pass on by…"

"And I finally accepted that maintaining my pride and self-image wasn't worth being lonely and feeling dead on the inside… I also finally accepted that what I convinced myself I deserved and what I wanted to preserve my self-image was completely different from what I actually wanted." Despite her dire predicament, Asuka looked over at Shinji and smiled as if their lives weren't on the line. Seeing this through the corner of his eye, Shinji blushed and smiled back.

The Angel known as Aeri was confused. The self-professed expert on humans understood very little about human emotions, as she found them absurd and a waste of time and energy. She reacted the way self-important beings usually acted when certain things didn't fit within the scope of what they determined as fact. She became frustrated and angry. "You still haven't explained why you chose her over me when I was clearly the most suitable mate for you!"

Shinji staggered into a response, seeming to be nowhere near as collected and confident as Asuka was. His answer was profound none the less, and to his surprise, the words came rather easily. "Well… It's kind of like Asuka said… You made assumptions of how I would react to you based on my attraction to Asuka, without really understanding why I feel the way I do… I'm sure you assumed I was attracted to her because of her looks and her high status as a pilot and child prodigy, but those things barley scratch the surface… I feel connected to Asuka because of what we've been through together over the past three year, and the pain we've experienced in the past. It's knowing that deep down, despite how different we are and the different ways we handled our issues, we were both basically fighting the same demons. I've felt like I've had this void in my chest ever since my mother died and father abandoned me, and that hole never came close to being filled until I fell in love with her… You can die your hair red, talk like she does, act like Asuka does, walk like she does, or make yourself out to look like her anyway you want. You can't mimic those feeling she stirs inside of me, and that's why I'd never be able to choose you over her."

"Geesh baka…" Glowing red as magma, Asuka tilted her head away from Shinji as far as her restraints would allow her. "Did you have to get all gushy in front of the freak holding us hostage?..."

"Sorry," Shinji smiled, turning red himself. He couldn't believe he'd actually just said what he had. "Might've been my only chance to say it though…"

"That's enough out of both of you!" Aeri ordered, still simmering over her plans being thwarted, and it seemed there was little she could do to salvage them. She glared at Shinji menacingly. To his credit, despite the fear he felt, he did not flinch or shy away from her stare. "As much as it pains me to admit it… It would seem that my plan to destroy you isn't unfolding quite like I desired." Her gaze shifted to Asuka… Her grin was nothing short of deviant. "Though, I will say that you two have presented me with an intriguing alternative."

Incensed by the Angel's smug grin, Asuka spat in her direction. The wad of saliva hadn't made it anywhere close to its intended target, a wasted effort. "Charming… Still, seeing as I'll be unable to steal Ikari's heart and break him that way… I guess the next best thing would be to make him watch as I dissect you piece by piece!"

"What?! Asuka, no!"

The restraints that had been binding Asuka in place were suddenly undone, dropping her hard to the dusty ground below. Despite the hard landing, she quickly pushed herself up to her hands and knees. The dust her impact had disturbed filled her lungs, causing her to cough uncontrollably. Before Asuka had time to recover, that invisible force seized her by the hair on her head and proceeded to drag her kicking and screaming to a barren section of ground nearby, callously selected to give Shinji a bird's eye view of whatever horrors Aeri had in store for Asuka. The binds that had held her to the scaffolding returned, this time embedding themselves into the Earth, spreading out both her arms and legs. Some of the wire even tied itself around her neck. This panicked Asuka, who struggled only to discover struggling only managed to tighten the potential noose form-fitted to her neck. Asuka quickly identified this issue and froze, lying perfectly still so not to tighten her bindings any further. Aeri floated down to her and straddled her torso, peering down at the bound pilot with a malicious grin that Asuka immediately wanted to claw off her face. She extended that grin to Shinji who looked positively horrified at the scene unfolding below him.

"Help me out Ikari, I can't decide where to start…" Aeri teased as she traced her finger along Asuka's face. The red-head would've seriously considered biting her damn finger off if it wandered too close to her mouth. "Should I gouge her eyes out first? Or maybe I should cut her belly open like a pig, so you can see what's on the inside of your precious Asuka… Oh, but she might die too quickly if I do that, and I do want to make sure the fun doesn't end too soon."

"Let her go damn you!" Shinji struggled himself against his bindings but to no avail. "Your issue is with me, so please take it out on me! Not her!"

"Shut up baka!" Asuka yelled up at him despite the tightness at her throat. "I don't need you spouting any garbage about you sacrificing yourself for me, you got it!"

"Asuka!"

"Oh be quiet, both of you! Neither of you are in any position to bargain. I hold all the power, so I'll decide who dies when… URGHK!…" Aeri suddenly felt her throat constrict as an immense pressure racked her body… It was the exact sensation Shinji and Asuka had felt minutes before. Another AT field, one much stronger than her own, was threatening to suffocate her. Desperate to escape, she took to the air but didn't make it far before the sheer will of the AT field assaulting held her in place. "I can't move!"

"Dear oh dear… I do apologize my sister, but your behavior has been dreadfully appalling. You've given me little choice but to be forceful with you."

"Tabris…" Aeri growled through her teeth. "How are you here?! You were my prisoner, there's no way you should've been able to escape!"

"Disappointing… I had hoped you'd at least be sensible enough to realize that myself being your prisoner was strictly voluntary. Did you really believe your powers had grown to surpass mine?"

"I assumed part of the fate of a traitor would be to have his powers stripped from him! I see I was wrong, and you obviously intend to use them to betray us again!"

"Foolish girl," Tabris sighed in disappointment. "I'm betraying no one… If anything, it's more like I'm quelling the temper tantrum of a misguided child."

"How dare you! Father sent me to Earth to extract vengeance for our fallen brethren! How do you think you'll be received when father finds out you've gone against his will…"

"As I said before you foolish girl… Who do you think sent me here to keep an eye on you?" Aeri got quiet, chilled by that information. She responded with a quick denial.

"You're a liar! Why would father send a traitor to watch over me?!"

"Shinji Ikari has passed our test Aeri… He made his choice, and per Father's decree, he's to be left alone and allowed to live his life as he sees fit. Father sensed that you lacked a grasp on this detail, so he sent me to look after you in case you allowed things to get out of control…" The expression of the Angel once known as Kaworu became deadly serious. "Besides… Even if I wasn't following Father's orders, you should've known I never would have stood by and allowed you to harm the two of them."

Aeri smirked bitterly. "Always fond of the Lilin weren't you brother? Especially that one up there… After all, he meant so much to you that you allowed all the sacrifices our siblings made to go for naught when you sided with him. Do you really expect me to believe it is I Father doesn't trust? After you sided with the Lilin over us! How could he be angry with me for seeking vengeance for our siblings against the one that tortured so many of us?!"

"I never said he was angry… More like disappointed," Tabris responded, cutting through Aeri's defiant demeanor somewhat. "You act as if our brothers and sisters died on our quest to initiate 3rd Impact, when in fact, all that died were the earthly bodies that our people were never meant to have in the first place. Our siblings are alive and well back home. This quest for revenge of yours is based on nothing, and fueled by an atrocity that never occurred. Father allowed you to set off on your quest for vengeance to see what you would do, and hopefully realize the folly of your ways. You could say he was testing you, and the results are disappointing if not outright disturbing."

"It was not baseless! The pain those two inflicted on our siblings was very real, and they deserve to have that pain revisited on them tenfold!"

"You know I can't let you do that sister," he sighed, like a much older brother being forced to discipline a younger child. "To be fair to you though, I will give you once last opportunity to repent. Promise that you'll release these two and wish them no more harm, and I'll let you go… Then you'll be free to continue your experiment within the world of the Lilin, and just maybe you'll discover what Father had wanted you to find."

"You know I can't promise that brother…" She answered quickly. Tabris nodded his head, smiling sadly as he closed his eyes.

"I do apologize for this then sister… I'll see you soon, back at home." Tabris placed his index finger near the center of Aeri's back. With one strong surge of his AT field, his target inside of Aeri's body ruptured. Her core exploded, killing the human shell the Angel known as Aeri had worn, almost instantly.

"Brother…" was her last word before dropping lifelessly to the ground, landing near a shocked Asuka. Tabris appeared legitimately pained as he descended towards Asuka. The red-headed German wasn't the only person whose mind was completely blown by what he'd just witnessed.

"Kaworu…" Shinji was almost shaking. "It can't possibly be you…"

"Figment of my subconscious my ass," Asuka barked at her savior as his feet touched the ground. Tabris smirked down at her.

"I don't follow… I wasn't aware your *ass* had a subconscious, or that one could be a figment of it…"

"Don't be a smart ass! You look just like the guy from my dreams!... The guy that was helping me… It doesn't make any sense, and I have no idea how you did it, but I know that you're the cloaked jerk from my dreams!"

"I assure you, I have no idea what you're talking about," he continued to play dumb as he used his skill at his AT field to undo Asuka's bindings. Within seconds she was free, grabbing at her neck where the wire had been chocking her, thankful for the simple joy of being able to breathe. Tabris turned his attention up to Shinji… That smile on his face left no doubt in Shinji's mind just who he was looking at. "Forgive me for keeping you waiting Shinji. I'll get you down from there now. I figured I best tend to your girlfriend first, otherwise you might get upset with me."

As easily as he had with Asuka's, Shinji's bindings were removed just before Tabris helped him float safely down to the ground. Asuka immediately ran towards him and threw her arms around him, partly due to relief that he was okay, and partly to use him as a buffer between herself and a man strong enough to kill an Angel with one finger. Tabris approached Shinji, the same smile on his face. "How is this possible Kaworu? You're dead, I killed you myself!"

"Kaworu?" The name took a moment to register with the red-head. "You mean the Fifth Child?! The final Angel?!" Asuka took several steps back, pulling Shinji along with her via his arm, standing slightly in front of him as if meaning to shield him from some form of potential harm. Noticing this only made Kaworu's grin broadened. He understood her reaction completely.

"It's been far too long Shinji, and it's wonderful to see you again."

"Yeah, same here…" Shinji stuttered, still unsure what to make of what he was seeing. "Still, how am I able to see you? Aren't you dead?..."

"You did destroy my physical form yes, but only my earthbound vessel. When that body died, my soul returned home as did the souls of all my brothers and sisters."

"So, you're saying that all the Angels we defeated are still alive? That's a comforting thought… Will they all be parading back down to Earth like you have?"

"My apologies Asuka, you misinterpreted my meaning. Yes my siblings are still alive in a sense, though not in the same fashion in which humans interpret life. Trust me though, they can pose no more threat to Earth from where they are now, and no, they will not be returning to Earth."

"How is it possible that you're here though?" Shinji asked, stilled awed by the sight of the corpse standing in front of him. "Or is the question I should be asking, why are you here?"

"To keep an eye on my wayward sister as you may have heard me mention to her, after she decided to go against our decision not to interfere with the Lilin affairs on Earth after Third Impact. My presence here is only temporary, until I deem that any threat Aeri might present has been nullified."

"Well, she looks pretty nullified to me," Asuka remarked snidely as she looked over at the Angel's remains. Her body had twisted, most of the color drained from her body, making her look more like an empty husk than a flesh and bone corpse. "Too bad, I guess that means you'll be leaving soon. Such a pity."

"Asuka… There's no reason to be rude to him." Shinji flinched in realization. "Oh, that's right! You two have never officially met have you?"

"No, we've met," Asuka informed Shinji, to his surprise, as she eyed Kaworu intently. "We've had quite a few interesting conversations as a matter of fact!"

"You have… But how is that possible? You were…"

Asuka cut him off. "It's a long story… I'll talk to you about it later."

"Okay…" Shinji looked at his long lost friend for conformation. The Angel simply shrugged his shoulders. "Don't look at me, I have no idea what she's referring too."

"Really? You're going to play the ignorance card?"

Kaworu shrugged again, and further garnered Asuka's resentment by ignoring her and turning his attention back to Shinji. "I apologize that our reunion couldn't come about under more desirable circumstances… And I must apologize again to have to make it so brief…"

"You have to go already?" Shinji asked, not surprised but unable to hide his disappointment.

Kaworu nodded his head. "Yes, by rule, I was technically not allowed to reveal myself to you as I have… My sister left me little choice in the matter. Preventing her from harming the two of you should spare me any grief for breaking this rule, however, allowing this encounter to linger any longer than necessary will be harder for me to justify…"

"I understand…" Shinji smiled at his old friend, and at one time, most dangerous enemy. "I am glad I got to see you though, even if only for a few minutes."

"Likewise… Now, the two of you had best get your stories straight. I have little doubt NERV will have picked up on Aeri's blue pattern, and will likely investigate. Considering your recent troubles Shinji, I wouldn't want to give them any reason to think that pattern was coming from you."

Shinji turned white, having yet to even consider the knowledge of this incident would expand past the three of them. "That's a good point… Looks like it's back to the lab for me to get probed some more… Unless they want to dissect me this time…"

"I doubt you're Commander would allow that to happen." Kaworu's typically flippant expression suddenly looked… Well, perhaps reluctant would be the correct phrasing. "Forgive me, but I'm afraid I must go now… Best of luck to both of you…"

"Hey, wait a second!" Asuka commanded, as Kaworu turned his back to them. Surprisingly, he seemed to comply though he didn't turn to face the girl.

"Is there something you require of me Ms. Soryu?"

"I need to talk to you for a minute…" Asuka peered back at Shinji. "Alone if you don't mind…"

Shinji looked surprised, but nodded his head in acceptance anyway. He headed for the exit, and had vacated the scrap yard before Asuka got down to business, shooting Kaworu that sharp look of contempt Asuka could wear so well. "So, it's just the two of us now. Are you still going to pretend you weren't masquerading as my subconscious inside my dreams?"

"What is there to pretend? If I was somehow involved in your dreams recently, then my presence there resulted from no effort on my part."

Asuka's pupils disappeared slowly as her brow furrowed in annoyance. "You get some kind of perverted enjoyment out of being condescending and insufferable don't you? Fine, if you want to pretend like your clueless to what I'm talking about, then whatever. I know it was you… I saw your face, and other than Wondergirl, there isn't another face like yours on this planet! The only thing I want is for you to grant me the courtesy of answering this one question honestly."

Kaworu had the power to disappear and escape this conversation whenever he pleased. For some reason he didn't feel like escaping though… Perhaps he was simply intrigued, or maybe he felt he did owe Asuka something. "That is acceptable… Please don't get upset with me though if my response isn't the answer you're hoping for."ow hH

"I just want to know why?... Why help me? You didn't know me, we weren't friends. You had never even met me before you started showing up in my dreams at night, so why would you have any interest in my emotional or mental health? Knowing just who you are now, it's obvious you had a reason for it, and it's driving me up the wall wondering why…"

Kaworu's grin broadened. He had the look of someone who was clearly about to lie to your face. "I'm afraid you still have me at a disadvantage, as I know so little about these dreams that you speak of… However, if it will appease you, I can pretend to understand long enough to answer whatever questions you might have for me… Let me ask you a question first… If I had aided you disguised as your subconscious as you've accused me of, what exactly makes you think I did any of that for you?"

Asuka looked irritated as she felt she was still getting jerked around, and her response echoed those feelings. "Well, you put an awful lot of time and effort into helping me to have done so solely for shits and giggles…"

"So you claim… Still, much of what you said is correct. I didn't know you personally, but I would've had a good reason to want to see you overcome your social inadequacies. While we had never met personally, I had grown quite fond of Shinji in the short time we had together. So, if I found myself with the opportunity to infiltrate your dreams as you claim… In that case, I guess I would've done so for him."

Asuka didn't have a response to that. Kaworu's reasoning was obvious, leaving Asuka embarrassed that she hadn't thought of that before. Deciding the conversation was over, Kaworu walked away, his image slowly fading until he disappeared from sight. Shinji took his absence as a sign that it was okay to come out of hiding, though he felt disappointed Kaworu was already gone. He also couldn't help but notice how brightly Asuka's face was glowing after she looked at him. "Are you alright? Did Kaworu say something that embarrassed you?"

"As if…" she grumbled as she rubbed at her face as if she thought she could rub the blush off her cheeks, and then cursed once she was forced to accept this was impossible. "Figures though, that you'd be friends with a frekazoid like that…"

"Hey, you just don't know him well enough yet… He's a good guy…"

"Yeah, real great guy… Aside from the fact that he was an Angel sent to Earth to trigger the extinction of humanity?"

"Nobody's perfect." Shinji's smile faded when it became clear Asuka wasn't amused by his barb. "He did kind of make up for it by saving our lives just now. Don't forget, he chose to let me destroy him because he decided he didn't want to initiate 3rd Impact…"

"Yeah whatever… Get your business in order fireball, you're hard on for the former Fifth Child is showing."

"Hard on?" Shinji looked down at this crotch as if he couldn't actually feel whether he had one or not… Or that he had no idea Asuka wasn't speaking literally. "It's not like that! Just because I'm defending Kaworu doesn't mean I'm gay for him or anything…"

"Yap all you want… While your mouth might be denying it, your face and your body language were screaming 'Fuck me Kaworu'!"

"You're joking right?!" Now Shinji was the one flustered and red-faced… Just like Asuka preferred it.

"Of course I'm joking dumbass!" Asuka hid a smile, as she grabbed him by the hand. "Now, let's go home! Once we're there, you can decide how you're going to make up for your ex-girlfriend's attempt to murder me."

"That doesn't sound unreasonable," Shinji agreed, though he still dug his feet in to halt Asuka's progress much to her annoyance. She frowned back at him, conveying said emotion.

"What's the problem? Don't tell me you want to poke her with a stick or something!"

"That's not funny at all," Shinji frowned, but pushed the remark to the back of his mind. Aeri was someone he'd cared for just a few minutes before… Though discovering said person was a psychotic other-worldly being, whose entire relationship with you was aimed towards your brutal demise, did kind of suffocated the affection you had for that person… "We should probably head for the Geofront first and tell Misato what's happened… This isn't something we're going to be able to hide."

Asuka grumbled in that way teenage girls do when they realize they're about to have to do something they don't want to. "Damn it, that's right… I'd almost be afraid they wouldn't believe us, but sadly, what just happened wasn't anywhere near the weirdest thing that's ever happened to us."

"It's got to at least be in the top five…"

"Maybe…" Asuka's eyes peered at the boy with curiosity. "What do you have ranked as number one?"

"The two of us being a couple… By a long shot…"

"Agreed," she said, no joke intended either. "Now let's go get this over with." Asuka took him by the hand again, this time headed in the direction of the Geofront.

End of Chapter 17

 _-So Aeri's role in this story is pretty much over. I know some readers wanted to see her become a more fleshed out character but I never really intended that for her. Her development over the past few months has probably been more interesting than the character herself. I originally flirted with the idea of using Mari in that role instead of an OC, but decided against it... Mostly because I was afraid some readers might actually root for her over Asuka, and I wanted to avoid that. Then I came up with the whole Angel angle, which also allowed me a valid excuse to tie Kawrou into the story, so I decided to run with the original character. I didn't want Asuka to have a really serious rival for Shinji, because in my mind, for this story at least, Asuka herself was her own biggest rival. Aeri's reveal as an Angel was actually supposed to happen much later in the story... My original plan was to Mary Sue the hell out of her to the point that reader's hated her because of it, making the reveal still a little cliche, but a little more satisfying. That approach could've just as easily backfired though, so I went with revealing her early instead, in favor of the angle of Shinji really liking and wanting to do right by this girl, while the reader's were completely aware of her true intentions. I wanted her presence to be complimentary, and not overwhelm the crux of the story itself._


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

It was days like this when Misato really missed Ritsuko… Her old friend Ritsuko from college, not the cold-hearted harpy who was willing to liquefy the human race on the scant hope she could remain a piece of ass to their Commander. She was the one close female friend Misato had, the one person she could lean on when she needed to discuss… Well, woman crap as she herself put it. Shinji and Asuka finally stoking those romantic fires that had flickered for several years, but they just couldn't ignite until now. This was definitely a topic she could've used Rits's advice on, albeit however dry, unhelpful, and jaded her advice may have been.

Maya Ibuki was sub-standard substitute. It wasn't that Misato disliked or distrusted her, quite the opposite in fact… It was just that Maya wasn't exactly the type of person Misato would be going out and having drinks with after a hard day of work. They were just too different, and it helped absolutely none that she was the Commander of NERV now. Most of the higher-ranking staff members who were retained after Third Impact didn't change how they carried themselves around the new Commander, in fact her appointment boosted morale considerably as many felt it was like having one of their own in charge. Maya however, acted as if Misato had been called up to Mount Olympus to rule over the Geofront, while Maya herself was merely an ant scurrying about below begging not to get stepped on. Misato guessed this was just how Maya was. While annoying, her reaction to Misato's position made it easy to corner her at times like this, as she wouldn't dare turn away her Commanding Officer when Misato needed to speak with her.

Misato started off slow, slowing bringing Maya down until she eventually started speaking to the Commander as if she were a normal human being. Maya was more than capable of giving a well thought out opinion if you gave her the chance. Yes, Misato methodically wore her down, bragging about how Shinji and Asuka had finally gotten together, smirking somewhat as Maya chuckled and declared what a cute couple they made, and how she always thought the two of them would end up together. Misato so badly wanted to scream bullshit to this. Nobody fucking thought Shinji and Asuka would even live long enough to get to this point without killing one another first. The only real question about it was wondering who would snap first and be the one serving the jail time while the other was fitted for a casket. Misato held her tongue though, allowing Maya to lower her guard down far enough so Maya wouldn't expect what was coming. The moment finally arrived, and Misato dropped the bomb on her.

"So, I think Shinji and Asuka are having sex."

Maya nearly gagged on her coffee. "Wha, what?! But they just got together you said, and they're still underage! Did you catch them in the act?"

"No, no at all. In fact, I have no proof whatsoever that they've laid a finger on each other."

"Well that's good… So there's at least a chance they're being responsible."

"Oh no, there have been all kinds of shades of gray going on in that apartment when I'm not around… I just don't know when it started, or how often it's been going on."

"I don't get it…. You said you had no proof and you haven't caught them in the act, so how can you be so sure they're being intimate?"

Misato smiled at Maya's choice of words. Leave it to the Lieutenant to refer to the carnal act of sex as if she were observing butterflies. "I just know… Because I can look at Asuka and I see… She just has the look."

Maya looked confused. "You mean there's an 'I just had sex' look?"

"No, not… It has nothing to do with sex… Well, that's not true, it's just not entirely sex. She has the look of a girl who's found something special, and is starting to realize it. She has the look of someone who's in love and is in it bad. I should know, I've seen that look before… I used to see it in the mirror back during my college days."

"You mean when you were involved with Mr. Kaji?"

Misato's frown indicated she didn't appreciate the connection being made, but couldn't fault Maya for bringing up the obvious. "Well, I don't see why you had to bring that man's name into it, but yes there was a time when Ryoji did make me feel that way. Looking at Asuka now, it's quite remarkable to see really… She actually looks happy, rather than someone ready to grab the world by the throat just so she can strangle the life out of it…"

"What are you going do? Separate them?"

Misato's wide eyes conveyed shock as if that solution hadn't and wouldn't be considered. "Why on Earth would I do that?"

"Well… Having two teenagers that age living under the same roof wasn't proper in the first place… There was always a risk something like this might happen. It would seem that splitting them up would be the most obvious solution."

"I'm not kicking either one of them out Maya," Misato said, in manner that conveyed a clear message to her subordinate not to even go this route. Maya being smart, and maybe even somewhat spineless when it came to confrontations, took the hint immediately. "They finally seem happy after all the shit they've been through… It would be almost evil to take that from them now…"

"What are you going to do then? You certainly can't allow them to go on the way they are…"

"You know, if we were talking about any kids other than those two I would agree with you whole heartedly… As hard as this is to believe, they're not little kids anymore. I blinked a couple of times and suddenly they were almost adults. They're certainly old enough to understand the potential consequences of their actions, and to understand they'll have to deal with any consequences that come with those actions. We can't pretend they're normal kids either. With what they've been through during their short time on Earth, they know as well as anyone that nothing is guaranteed in life. An Angel could attack tomorrow and they both could be killed in combat. Just a week ago, we almost lost Shinji due to an internal attack by SEELE. Those kids don't have the luxury to plan out and wait on a future that there's a good chance they might not live to see. We ask those kids to do adult things all the time, none more significant than going off to fight in a war that we adults are powerless to fight. They don't always show it, but they're mature beyond their years because of it. Wouldn't it be the ultimate double standard to treat them like kids in this situation? Damn it, I'm giving myself a headache…"

The blaring of warning sirens finished the job the Shinji/Asuka conundrum had started. Poor Maya nearly jumped out of her seat, while several techs nearby stood up and were looking around, wondering what was going on. Misato pulled out her radio and contacted the bridge. "Damn it, I said an Angel *might attack* tomorrow! I know we're out of practice, but there's no need to sound the alarm over it!"

A frantic Shigeru responded over the comm. "Pardon me Commander, but this isn't a joke! We've detected a possible Pattern Blue inside the city limits!"

"What!" Misato jumped out of her seat, knocking her chair over. "I'll be right there! Try to confirm the pattern sequence is correct and isolate its location." Misato skillfully switched lines to that of her Seconds. "Tanaka, this no drill. We have a potential Pattern Blue, and we're not paid to be cautious. Have Section 2 round up Shinji, Rei, and Asuka and have them shipped to the Eva Bay. I'll make sure the Techs are getting our old war horses prepped."

"Affirmative." Tanaka's voice crackled over the comm. "I'll join you on the bridge shortly."

Misato clicked off the comm, now in full Operations Chief mode. "Let's go Maya… With any luck, hopefully this is just a false alarm."

Full blown chaos had erupted on both the bridge and in the Eva Bay area, as two teams of experts were clearly unprepared to coordinate an attack on an enemy they never thought they'd have to face again. Misato could only shake her head and blame herself… In some ways, she'd gotten lazy too after so many months of peace. At this time, Tanaka had finally joined her on the bridge. She turned to him expecting a routine report. "Are the pilots on their way?"

"Pilot Ayanami has been picked up by Section 2, and is en route to the Geofront…" Tanaka suddenly got quiet, reluctant to share this next piece of information with his Commander. "As for pilot's Ikari and Soryu, their whereabouts are currently unknown."

Misato glared at him in disbelief. "What do you mean unknown?! Weren't Section 2 agents assigned to keep an eye on them?!"

"Of course Commander, but with our security details on the children stripped down the bare minimum, it's not as difficult for them to give our agents the slip when they're really determined to do so… In this case, the team assigned to them had lost track of them some time ago…"

"That's what I get for trying to protect their privacy…" Misato sighed, feeling regret in hindsight. "Still, we pay these guys an awful lot of money to keep an eye on those kids, for them to never seem to know where they are…"

"I'll be sure to personally voice your concerns to the head of Section 2 the next time I see him Commander."

"Please do, and Lieutenant Aboa, please tell me you have a read on this suspected pattern's location."

"I'm working on it now Commander… We should have an answer in…" Aboa's eyes went wide in disbelief of what he was seeing on his screen. "What the hell?!"

"What, what's wrong?" Misato asked despite immediately walking up behind him to view what he was seeing on his monitor.

"Well, it's the suspected Pattern Blue we detected … It seems to have disappeared…"

"Disappeared?" Misato frowned, about to ask one of the most cliché questions in the history of the written word. "What do you mean it disappeared?!"

"Just that Commander… It was there, and at almost the very moment we finally locked onto its location, the pattern was gone! There's no sign the pattern is on the move either…"

"Is it possible that the Magi made a mistake, and the Pattern Blue was never there in the first place?" Maya asked from her station. "It would make sense seeing as, theoretically, all the known Angels have appeared and subsequently have been destroyed."

"It is possible… But extremely unlikely… No computer system is flawless, but the Magi is about as close as human beings have been able to get…. Shigeru, you mentioned you'd locked onto its location before the pattern disappeared. Where was its location?"

"On the Southwest edge of town oddly enough. It's a rather unpopulated area seeing as there weren't any major efforts to restore that area after Third Impact. All that's left are a few abandoned office buildings, and an old Scrap Yard. Can't quite give exact coordinates since the blip went poof before we could isolate an exact location, but that's the general area that the hit came in."

"Commander, might I'd suggest deploying a team in that sector to investigate?" Tanaka advised his superior. Misato was already a few steps ahead of him.

"Yes, in fact, I'll be heading up the team myself. Shigeru, Maya, Makato… Continue to monitor the situation and radio us immediately if the suspect pattern appears again. Also, make sure Unit 00 is prepped and ready to go in case she needs to be deployed… Oh and Tanaka…"

"Yes Ma'am?"

"Before we go, please see if you can get the idiots from Section 2 off there assess and find out where my kids are. And please let them know, if I don't get answers soon, the agents responsible for them are going to get demoted to practice range dummies…"

The Sub-Commander wasn't sure when the Commander began referring to pilots Ikari and Soryu as 'her kids', but he did know that it was a recent development. For some reason, he just couldn't help but smile. "I'll be sure to pass along the message Commander.

* * *

Unless you'd been living under a rock with no windows, you probably could've guessed that all holy hell was set to break loose at NERV. The chaos really heated up when the Commander's trip to investigate the strange pattern blip's last location, turned up Shinji and Asuka casually strolling in the opposite direction of said area. The story they spun, perhaps being too honest with the details, would leave heads spinning for days to come. For the present, the rest of that day would be spent in a series of interviews with the Commander, the Sub-Commander, both Commanders, just Asuka, just Shinji and then both all for the sake of getting their bizarre story straight. After literally half a day of debriefing, the exhausted Commander of NERV and her equally exhausted pilots, all wanted nothing more than to put this incident in the books and call it a night.

"Okay guys…" Misato groaned, her hand comforting her aching forehead. "Let's run through your version of events one more time, so I can be positively sure we have all the facts straight…"

"We've been over this twelve damn times already!" Asuka huffed, both tired and irritated at being treated like someone who was trying to lie her way out of some heinous crime.

"I know Asuka, I know… I know it seems like we're being paranoid, but that's because we are. You're both smart enough to see the potential ramifications if the wrong people get wind that two of our pilots have had contact with not just one, but two Angels! We can't afford to leave any loose threads dangling for our critics to pull at. If our report leaves so much as a single sentence open to be misconstrued, the integrity of NERV itself is going to fall under heavy scrutiny. Shinji's recent incarceration, Dr. Reniot's arrest, the Angel virus incident, NERV's security measures, they're all going to be called into question… None of that is even considering the potential reaction from the general public. People will be seeing Angels rising up from their swimming pools at night. Tokyo 3 isn't far removed from finally stabilizing after struggling for such a long time after Third Impact, and the last thing this city needs is another mass exodus. No Tokyo 3, then there's basically no NERV, so please work with us through the red tape on this incident, please?"

"Fine," Asuka huffed unhappily. Shinji nodded his head tiredly, also agreeing. "This better be the last time though!"

"As long as your stories don't deviate from your previous accounts, then we should be out of here in a few minutes… Now, Shinji… This girl you'd been seeing… Aeri, she turned out to be an Angel?"

"Yes Ma'am…"

"And why did you say she was after you?"

"Revenge I guess…" Shinji thought about his choice of words and wasn't quite satisfied with them. "No, I know it was revenge, she told me so herself. She wanted revenge on me for the harm I did to the other Angels or so she claimed… She felt that simply killing me would've been letting me off easy, so I guess she wanted to make me fall in love with her so she could break my heart and then kill me…"

"That is brutal…" Misato winced, genuinely feeling for the boy over what the other worldly skank had tried to do to her Shinji. She was in Commander mode at that moment though, so she couldn't let that show. "You said that you strongly believe that Aeri's appearance was not the precursor of a renewed assault on humanity by the Angels?"

"No. From what I've heard, Aeri was acting on her own and against the wishes of the other Angels. They even sent Kaworu back down to Earth with her to keep an eye on her."

"Yes Kaworu… Former Fifth Child, and the final Angel that you yourself Shinji, crushed within your Eva's hand… Yet he was able to reappear before you as if he returned from the dead?"

"From what I understand of what Kaworu told me, you can't completely kill and Angel. What we killed were the bodies that each Angel chose when their invasion of Earth began… When their bodies died… I guess they went wherever the Angles usually are when they're not trying to destroy humanity."

"So I did hear you correctly the first twelve times," Misato sighed, feeling another twinge of pain at her forehead. The thought that the Angels could return at any time they damn well pleased, in possibly even more lethal forms, was not the type of information that helped the leaders of International organizations, tasked with protecting humankind from those beings, sleep well at night. "And you also had some form of contact with Kaworu Asuka?... I mean, aside from the encounter you had with him today?"

"Yes… He started popping up in my dreams a few weeks ago, though he won't confess that it was him."

"And based on your statement, he acted like sort of a therapist for you?"

"Uh-huh, sure… If that's the way you want to interpret it then fine…"

"Asuka…" Misato's eyes narrowed in agitation. "You realize that being sarcastic and defiant isn't going to get you out of this room any faster don't you?"

"Gur…. Fine! Yes, he tried to help me with some of my… Personal issues that I'm perfectly aware I'm not required to disclose to you or anyone else!"

"As you've made pointedly clear at least half a dozen times…" The weight of the want of sleep pressing her eyelids downward, Misato still managed a sleepy, but still agonizingly mischievous grin. "And why is it that Kaworu decided to help you with these personal issues?"

Asuka's cheeks turned red. "Is this really part of the debriefing, or have you been asking for you own amusement?"

"I'm not required to disclose that information… Now, if you want to get out of this room anytime soon, you'd better answer the question," Misato nearly sang, suddenly sounding too chipper for someone that was an eyelash away from her face crashing into her desk.

"Fine!... He didn't really do any of it to help me… He did it for Shinji… For to um… Hell, you know!"

"That he was essentially playing match maker for the two of you? Yeah, I got it. Okay, now let's continue… What did Kaworu do when he first appeared before you?"

"He killed Aeri," Shinji responded, a tint of sadness still in his voice.

"Which explains the deformed humanoid husk we found in the scrap yard…" Misato shivered at the memory of seeing the grotesque shell. "And Kaworu then confronted you two afterward and said what?"

"He explained how Aeri had defied the other Angels by coming to Earth, and that he was sent to keep an eye on her. His decision to destroy her was based off her attempt to kill us. He also told me that he was only permitted to be on Earth until the situation with Aeri was taken care of… Then he would have to return home I guess…"

Misato nodded her head, by now almost able to speak his responses in unison with him. "And you believed what he was telling you?"

Shinji frowned slightly. "I have no reason not to believe him… He did save our lives don't forget…"

"I also can't forget that he was once sent to this planet to destroy us all," Misato groaned as her hand returned to the task of consoling her throbbing forehead. "I understand how you feel Shinji, and as someone who knows you as well as I do, I'm inclined to believe you… However, the Commander of NERV in me can also see how the representatives from the UN are going to have a difficult time seeing you're old buddy, and mankind's former nemesis, as someone whose suddenly not a threat to us. You do understand that don't you Shinji?"

Shinji's response was to hang his head, which wordlessly confirmed everything Misato needed to know. Annoyed at how easily he was backing down, Asuka decided to respond for him. "Of course the baka knows how difficult it's going to be to convince anyone Kaworu is no longer a threat… Probably impossible, but you know as well as I do that this thick-headed lug isn't going to just turn on one of his friends… Regardless of whether it's in his best interest or not…"

"I'm not expecting Shinji to do that either… I'm just trying to make sure you understand how openly supporting and defending a known Angel looks for you Shinji… Especially to those who already suspect you of having been contaminated by an angel, showing you've bonded with another angel is only going to add fuel to their fire. You get what I'm saying don't you?"

"Yeah," Shinji replied submissively. "I guess I never really did relate all this stuff that's happened with my relationship with Kaworu… Still though, I'm not going to lie to anyone about him. If anyone asks, I'm going to tell them exactly who he is to me, and what he's done for me."

"All I ask is that you use discretion and choose your words carefully… If I have it my way, you won't be talking to anyone else about this incident. I'm going to classify the situation with the highest security classification that I can give, and keep who knows the details of what occurred today to a minimum. This also means that you two need to be careful to whom you discuss the events of today with… Try not to tell anyone anything they don't need to know if at all possible."

"I'm not saying anything," Asuka said, looking smug, as she slouched in her chair.

"I have no reason to tell anybody either… Everyone I was close to had left Tokyo 3 by the time Kaworu came along. They wouldn't even know who I was talking about."

"Good, I'm counting on you two to keep quiet… With any luck, we'll never have to speak of this incident again…" Misato closed her file, and placed it under her arm as she would soon lock it away with the rest of her confidential files. "Now, what do you guys say we get the hell out of here, and into our nice warm beds!"

"Best suggestion I've heard all night," Asuka said, while Shinji exhaled in relief.

After a brief trip back to the Commander's office in order to place the case file safely under lock and key, the trio wasted little time zombie-walking their way to Misato's car, ready to travel the moderate distance back to the Katsuragi apartment. Misato immediately took note when Asuka passed on the empty seat in the front of the car, in favor of sitting in the back with Shinji… Specifically, the seat right next to Shinji. Within five minutes, both teens were asleep and leaning against one another for support. The first legitimate smile of the evening found its way to Misato Katsuragi's lips. It was moments like this when she wished the hardest that those kids could live normal, peaceful lives without all the apocalyptic bullshit that went hand-to-hand with working for NERV.

* * *

Someway, somehow, Shinji Ikari couldn't sleep. Ever since they'd arrived home from that marathon interrogation, he'd been lying awake in bed, alternating between starring at the ceiling and the wall. All three roommates, of course, had gone to bed immediately after arriving home. Shinji felt it was absolutely unnecessary for Misato to insist he and Asuka sleep in their own beds, which they intended to do anyway… Her threat to post Section 2 guards at each of their doors if they didn't comply was even less necessary.

His mind racing, and sleep elusive, Shinji decided that perhaps some air would ease his frayed nerves. Something seemed to be calling him out to the balcony anyhow. Leaning against the railing, he stared out into the concrete jungle of bright lights, tall buildings, and all the tell-tale noises of a once thriving city now in recovery. The backdrop certainly wasn't waterfalls and snow-capped mountains with the sun-setting in the distance, but seeing as the world as humans once knew it was nearly eradicated, the sights and sounds of life moving along as normal was a wonderful sight indeed.

"It is quite amazing what the minds of the Lilin can conceive and create… Now if we could only get you people out of your pension to destroy every bit as much as you create…"

Shinji barely flinched upon realizing he wasn't alone out on the terrace. He wasn't even sure why… Perhaps he'd finally gotten to a point in life where things like this just didn't surprise him anymore. Either way, the sudden pull he'd felt to walk out onto the terrace now made perfect sense. "When you say it that way, it kind of makes it sound like you think the Angels should've caused Third Impact and destroyed mankind…"

"You forget, there was a time I did absolutely think that," Kaworu looked over at the human boy fondly, wearing his usual smile. "Until a certain someone got me to think otherwise."

Shinji returned the smile, even blushing somewhat. "Not that I'm complaining, but why are you still here? I thought you had to leave Earth once Aeri was taken care of…"

"That was a half-truth… I had one more order of business to take care before I left, but I didn't wish to do so with your feisty friend present. I need to discuss something with you privately."

Shinji's expression got serious quickly. "I take it that you're not here for one last heart-filled goodbye, are you?"

Kaworu shook his head, appearing apologetic. "I'm afraid not… The truth is, I'm technically forbidden to even be discussing this with you, but I'm afraid I'll be the one defying the wishes of my brethren this time. You see, certain events are about to unfold that will threaten everything you've risked your life to salvage and protect, and I just couldn't let this happen… You, above all others, deserve better than that."

"Can't say I agree with you… But I'm listening."

"Keep in mind, that it isn't set in stone that the events I'm about to share with you will come to pass. All that I'm aware of are potential futures that could come to pass if certain decisions are made. All I can do is try and stir you in the direction of which I feel are the right ones… You may want to take a seat… This might take a while."

* * *

Asuka slept like a rock from the second her head hit the pillow. Pleasant dreams were not in the cards for her though, as her evening was tormented by visions of Aeri doing unspeakable things to her as she made Shinji watch… It was a long drawn out dream too, as her near catatonic sleeping state didn't provide the usual jolt one usually received in the middle of the night during a nightmare.

When she finally did awaken, she woke up to a dull headache in roughly the center of her forehead. At first, Asuka's only desire was to roll over and go back to sleep… But then, memories from the previous day began to rush back. Memories that she'd been too exhausted to stress over the night before, but was now aware enough to mull over them, which made it near impossible to get back to sleep… After her mind ran a few laps around her skull, she decided it was time to get out of bed.

Asuka stretched out her back, and noticed a distinct lack of the scent of food coming from the kitchen. Wondering if Shinji was still asleep, Asuka played with the idea of preparing breakfast herself, when she found Shinji sitting at the table sipping on a cup of coffee… Which was strange, because Shinji never drank coffee.

"Okay, I know something isn't right here… You wouldn't be voluntary drinking dirt if otherwise," Asuka cracked, referencing Shinji's past comments regarding the taste of one of the world's favorite morning beverages.

"Oh… Morning Asuka," he greeted, slightly startled. "My head kind of hurts and I've heard coffee can help with that…"

After taking a seat next to him, Asuka studied the boy, noting his slightly pale skin and the bags under his eyes. She chose not to show it outwardly, but she became concerned. "You look like shit… Did you not sleep well? It's perfectly reasonable that you wouldn't, considering what you went through last night…"

"You went through the same thing, and you didn't have any trouble sleeping. I could hear you snoring from the terrace," he chuckled, drawing a slight frown form Asuka which quickly formed into a wry smile.

"Yeah, but I'm not the one who found out that my training-girlfriend was secretly plotting to kill me."

"Training Girlfriend?"

"Yep, or transitional girlfriend or whatever you want to call that bitch. She's just the girl you were settling for while you were waiting on me," She hummed proudly, drawing a smile from the young man seated next to her.

"I guess that's kind of true in a way… And no, I didn't sleep well… Didn't sleep at all actually." Shinji tapped the top of his head. "Too much going on in here."

"Well, there's a first time for everything," Asuka teased, as she moved a few strands of hair from in front of his eyes. She made a mental note to remind him later that he needed to get a haircut. "I knew something was wrong. Usually, you're wide awake and half-way through preparing breakfast by now."

"Oh crap breakfast! You're probably hungry aren't you… I'll get started as soon as…" Shinji didn't get halfway out of his seat before he found Asuka's hand covering his, and pulling him back down to a seated position.

"Don't worry about it! You're far too exhausted to be using the stove this morning. You're liable to burn the damn building down. I'm perfectly capable of making breakfast myself, and even if I wasn't, a bowl of cereal isn't going to kill me."

"Really? It wasn't that long ago when you would've yelled at me for even suggesting you eat a cold breakfast. Of course, when I finally did break down and cook you breakfast, you complained about that too…"

"Of course I did idiot… You should know by now, that was my way of putting you in your place."

"My place? Where exactly was my place?" Shinji had a feeling he already knew… And he did.

"Beneath me of course. You needed to be aware at all times that I was NERV's top pilot, and you were only there to make sure I was taken care of. I couldn't have you thinking we were equals could I? How else was I going to get you to do what I wanted you to do?"

"Asking me in a polite way would've worked just as well... Not as fun for you that way though, I guess… So then, is my rightful place still beneath you? If not, then where is it now?

Asuka's answer was immediate, as she clutched Shinji's hand and pulled him close to her. Her lips found his for a short, sweet morning kiss. "By my side stupid…"

"I kind of like that place," Shinji cheesed through a sleepy smile.

"Save it baka, it's too early in the morning for the mushy stuff," Asuka teased, as she stood up from the table. "Just drink your coffee, and I'll take care of breakfast. It's been a while, but I'll figure it out."

Shinji smiled after her as she went into the kitchen, but as soon as her back was turned, that smile all but disappeared. If what Kaworu had told him was indeed destined to come to pass… It would be so unfair. All the fighting, scratching, and clawing to get to where he was, both in life and in his relationship with Asuka. If Kaworu was right, everything that mattered to him could be ripped away before he'd ever have a chance to fully clasp his hands around it.

* * *

Albert McDermott was a born survivor… Er, at least that's what he convinced himself. What was undoubtedly true was that Albert always had a plan. He was always three steps ahead of his adversaries whether they'd be his competitors in business, the authorities, or even his partners. From the time he was a boy growing up in poverty in the American Northeast, starting his own business and making millions through legal and not so legal means. He was also blessed with the fortunate timing of moving his family to the Midwest mere days before Third Impact hit and literally wiped entire states off the map. Central Pennsylvania, which at one point was fairly far inland, was now beach front property, sans the beach. Of course, luck had very little to do with McDermott's sudden departure for this hometown that would soon be claimed by the sea, and everything to do with his connections at SEELE. His business acumen and ruthlessness had made him a successful businessman and a very wealthy man. His association with SEELE helped make him one of the most powerful men in the United States.

Today, Albert McDermott was one of the last hangers on of an endangered species, one that was being hunted down to the point of extinction. One by one, the members of the old boys club went down, most dragged away in chains, all guilty of crimes even their vast wealth wouldn't be able to get them out of. A few went into hiding, but somehow were picked up almost as soon as they fell of the map, as if the United Nations suddenly had insider information on SEELE's vast network of safe houses. Others went down in a hail of bullets and at least one, out of a 12 story window to the pavement below. Even the great Lorenzo Keel wasn't immune from the swift and merciless hand of justice. Keel wasn't about to wait around to be arrested though… No, Lorenzo was not a man who would ever willingly face up to his crimes. When the UN forces swooped in to arrest him, Keel had already put a bullet between his eyes… His final act of defiance…

Albert just did not have it in him to go out that way… He was a survivor, so he wasn't about to play dead or hang around waiting to get arrested. He escaped to his own private bunker in the mountains of Appalachia, one even the other members in SEELE knew nothing about, so it likely wouldn't have been revealed by whatever kind of intelligence the UN had dug up on SEELE. You could imagine his surprise when one of his bodyguards came bursting into his study.

"Mr. McDermott! Troops from the UN have invaded the bunker! They've taken down most of the security forces and are currently sweeping the complex in search of you!"

"How the hell did they find us?! Even my associates in SEELE weren't aware of this bunker!"

"I have no idea, but I need to get you out of here sir… I'll escort you to the emergency exit…"

"There is no emergency exit!... At least not since that partial cave in a couple of months ago… I'm afraid there's only one exit from this bunker, and currently an army of angry soldiers stands between us and freedom."

"Sir… How would you like us to proceed from here?"

"Hennessey, you've done good work for me over the years…" Albert complimented, as he stood up from his chair. "Men like me rarely find people they can trust explicitly. The only possible way I can thank you right now for your dedication, is to fire you… Now get yourself out of here before the UN comes bursting through that door."

"But sir…"

"You no longer work for me Hennessey, so your input is no longer of consequence to me… Now go. My fate was sealed the moment Keel put that bullet between his eyes… Now get lost, I still have one last job I need to complete."

Hennessey had a general idea of what his long-time employer had on his mind. He knew there was little point in arguing with the stubborn old codger. "It's been an honor to work for you sir…" With a nod of his head, Hennessey was out the door and gone. McDermott smiled slightly at this. He really did hope his top body-guard got back home safely… His kids were still young… Oh well, the rich and powerful rarely wasted too much time concerning themselves with the fates of those beneath their station. The old man forced his aged body forward, and limped over to the bookcase. Pulling back a book near the center but a bit to the left, a door shaped section in the bookshelf opened revealing a hidden room behind it. The room was small, containing nothing more than a chair and an end-table with a box in the middle of it. Without bothering to close the hidden door behind him, McDermott sat down, eyeing the box warily before flipping it open. Underneath the box was a keypad and the proverbial big red button super villains had made famous decades ago. The old man laughed at the cliché, his fingers hovering just above the keypad ready to enter his code.

Ever since Instrumentally had been aborted, SEELE's power waned as their collective wealth dwindled. They were too damn old to rebuild, or to form another plan that could force another impact, nor did they have the resources or influence to make it happen if time had been on their side. Instead, they chose to put their remaining resources in something tangible… Something they all might live to experience and enjoy… Revenge against those bastards that ruined their grand scheme to become Gods on Earth. Their first attempt, the Eva/Angel virus was a colossal failure. Not only did all the Eva units remain functional and the pilots survived, their inside agent, Estelle Reniot had been uncovered as being their spy and a saboteur. It was with her unmasking that all hell broke loose for the remaining members of SEELE… McDermott had little doubt it was her who flipped on them, the timing was just oh so convenient. Damn kids just didn't respect the code of honor, which included not selling out fellow members of the organization.

Plan B wasn't anything like the shot in the dark they'd taken with the virus. With the monetary resources they had left, they pulled it together to finance the construction of the ultimate Evangelion Unit. One specifically designed to take on other Eva Units and heavy military artillery. She was like the Eva Series models on steroids, human growth hormone, PCP's, and crack all at the same time. Twice as strong as NERV's models, twice as fast, and five time the firepower. The unit was pre-programmed to have one mission and one mission alone. This unit was to act as SEELE's last stand… The final hail-mary at the end of the game… Only the four highest ranking members of SEELE had the equipment and the security codes to active and launch the unit. Why the other three hadn't launched Zeus themselves he did not now. Perhaps they all suffered one last bout of conscious? Zeus was shelved as the final option because of the unit's high potential and unpredictability as well as the high probability it could cause a lot more damage than just too the intended target. For a second, Albert McDermott had a dilemma of conscious. Then he heard the agents from the UN burst into his bunker's office. With a smirk he typed in his code and pressed the button… If he was going down, then he was going to take as many people as he could down with him.

"Freeze!" ordered a heavily armored man, holding a gun pointed at McDermott's head. He was joined by half a dozen more soldiers, and several more who couldn't squeeze inside the small secret room, standing guard in the main chamber of the office. "Don't move a muscle… Albert McDermott, you're under arrest for crimes against humanity."

"The most heinous crime ever committed against humanity was the aborting of Instrumentality. If you consider administering revenge against the people who stole paradise out from under our feet a crime, then we'll just have to agree to disagree."

"Why yes Mr. McDermott… I do consider the mass murder of billions of people a crime. And you are going to pay for that crime… Now put your hands where we can see them."

The old man smirked as he complied with the command. "I thought that was your voice… I shouldn't be, but for some reason, I'm surprised to hear it. You are quite the difficult one to kill aren't you Inspector Kaji?"

"Everyone has their talents." Kaji lifted his face-guard, and despite the wisecrack, his expression was deadly serious. His eyes shifted to the keypad and panel built into the desk were Albert was sitting. "What's this contraption? Trying to call up some of your buddies to come to your rescue? I wouldn't bother… I have it on pretty good authority that there is no one else… You're the last one aren't you Mr. McDermott?"

"That I am," he surprisingly confessed. "No, I wasn't trying to radio for help, I'd already resigned myself to my fate. Before you had the chance to spirit me away from here however, I felt I should arrange a little going away present for our mutual friends over at NERV Japan."

Kaji's trigger finger suddenly became very, very itchy. "What are you getting at? I suggest you be straight with me. Nobody's going to bat an eyelash if it's your corpse we drag out of here."

The old man threw his hands up as if playfully asking the JSDU agent to back off. Judging from the old man's snarky demeanor, he wasn't acting like the cornered rat that the men holding guns to his head had expected him to be impersonating. "Did you really think my associates and I would be sitting idly by waiting for your organization and the UN to reign down your so-called justice upon us? Believe me when I tell you, we've been hard at work my friend… You know about the virus of course… I have to commend you though. I can't even begin to fathom where you gathered your information on that project. Don't try to deny your involvement either, I have full confidence you were waist deep in that business. I bet even you though, hadn't even the slightest clue to hint at our ultimate solution…"

Kaji's brow rose. "That would be a fair assumption… Please enlighten me. I'd prefer not to get blood on this uniform if I can help it."

"Oh, I would be absolutely delighted to," he grinned confidently. "When I referred to our Ultimate Solution, I'm referring to SEELE's last gasp offensive in case well… Individuals such as yourselves burst down our doors and held guns to our heads. The solution's name is Zeus… An Evangelion like nothing anyone has ever seen before. He was modeled after the Eva Series, only twice as fast, twice as strong, and five times the fire power. He's also equipped with an S2 engine, and best of all… He's loaded with enough explosives to devastate a city the size of the original Tokyo!"

Kaji's finger felt as if it would explode if he didn't squeeze the trigger right that second. "You're a liar… But for sake of argument, let's pretend you are telling me the truth… As a sign of good faith, call off your monstrosity, and maybe I can convince the UN to go easy on you."

"I'm afraid that's not possible. Zeus was programmed too, once activated, complete a certain number of tasks without hesitation. Those orders are to destroy NERV Central and the remaining Evangelions. Once these two tasks are complete, his final objective will be to self-destruct… Witch, of course, would obliterate NERV and likely all of Tokyo 3 along with it."

"You're aware that if you're trying to use this information to broker a deal, you're not leaving yourself much room for negotiation."

"I'm not working an angle. I'm simply telling you what is… You don't believe me? Flip on any of the international news networks in about an hour or so… I'm certain the smoking crater that used to be Tokyo 3 will be plastered all over the screen… Uurk!"

McDermott's boast was met by the butt of a rifle against his skull. The old man fell unconscious to the ground, Kaji's glare completely void of sympathy. "Would you boys get this piece of trash out of here… I have to make a phone call…"

"Agent Kaji…" One of the UN soldiers spoke up. "He's a very desperate man. I doubt we need to take his threats seriously…"

"Friend, there's one thing you need to remember above all else when you're dealing with SEELE. I don't care if they're telling you the sky is purple or that they ride flying unicorns to work every day that fart rainbows. Whatever spews from the mouths of these old men, you better damn well take seriously. There's no telling how many lives it might cost if you don't."

End of Chapter 17


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Half a world away from where Ryoji Kaji had apprehended the last recognized SEELE agent, the Geofront in Japan, Misato was in her office accompanied by Sub-Commander Tanaka. They were reviewing the final draft for the next month's budget. Commander Katsuragi hated few things quite as passionately as she hated balancing NERV's checkbook, but so far all her suggestions to the UN to hire a financial team to handle the monetary matters fell on deaf ears. All the fun of a root canal spliced with a colonoscopy, was interrupted by the crackling of her intercom.

"Commander Katsuragi?"

Misato pressed the speaker button on her com and responded. "I'm here Haruna, but we're a bit busy at the moment. If it's not important, can it wait for another twenty minutes or so?"

"I'm so sorry to bother you Commander, but we've received an urgent call from a Ryoji Kaji requesting to speak with you. Would you like me to tell him to call back later?"

Misato narrowly avoiding ordering the secretary to pass a few expletives to the JSDU agent before she hung up on him. Then she thought it over for a moment… Kaji wouldn't call her office directly unless it was something important. Begrudgingly she replied, "No, go ahead and transfer him over… This had damn sure better be important though."

Five seconds of agonizing waiting later, her ex-lover's voice could be heard over the phone. "Commander Katsuragi?"

"Whoa, how formal of you… This really must be important. What rock did you crawl out from under this afternoon?"

"Oh some big ones… Mountains actually, out here in West Virginia I believe…"

Misato sweat dropped. "Where?"

"…In the United States love…"

"Well, why didn't you say so?!... And don't call me love! It's not like I have an atlas in front of me, so how am I supposed to know every state over there… Isn't there like thirty of them or something?"

"Well, fifty actually but…" Kaji shook his head, reminding himself of why he called, and it certainly wasn't to participate in this banter with his old flame. "Let's not do this… I have something serious I need to discuss with you Commander."

"I would certainly hope you do. Now spill it! You've got five minutes to convince me not to hang up this phone."

"I won't need that much... A few minutes ago, we arrested the last known member of the SEELE organization."

That was certainly good news, Misato thought… She didn't voice it of course, that would be like giving him credit. "Excellent, so you couldn't wait to call and brag about it I see."

"Misato please! What I have to say is extremely important, so would you please forget any residual bitterness you feel towards me for at least a minute or two and listen to what I have to say?!" Kaji was rarely serious… Rarely had he ever been forceful with Misato either… Both factors helped Misato's decision that Kaji deserved to be heard. Ryoji took her silence as a prompt for him to continue. "I can't say if this information is 100 accurate or not, but I have to pass this warning on to you. Before we caught up with him, the old man claims that he launched some sort of advanced Eva unit, and if he's telling the truth, it's now heading in your direction."

"New Eva unit? You mean like the Eva series?"

"Yes, but he claims this unit is far more advanced… Faster, stronger, with more firepower… Here's the real kicker though… Supposedly, this unit is packed with enough explosives to blow the entire city to the moon and back. Again, these were all the ramblings of an old man with nothing to lose, but you know as well as I do what SEELE is capable of… Take care Misato."

The click that preceded Kaji hanging up the phone seemed to linger on forever. Tanaka noticed the concerned look on his Commander's face and responded accordingly. "Commander… Is there a problem?"

"Potentially… Kaji just informed me that a SEELE operative they recently apprehended claims that he launched some form of advanced Eva unit that is currently on course to Tokyo 3, aiming to launch an attack on the Geofront."

"I assume we're going to take the threat seriously," Tanaka stated rather than asking. He took everything seriously.

"We have no other choice… If Kaji was concerned enough about it to call directly to my office, then I doubt it's just a bluff… Either way, we should sound the alert and get all essential personal to their stations. We need to get the Eva's and their pilots prepped and ready as soon as possible.

* * *

For the next 45 minutes, the Geofront experienced total chaos, though it was much more controlled chaos than the circus of blunders that ensued after the rouge pattern blue was detected several days before. Sub-Commander Tanaka had made it aggressively clear how displeased he was with the total lack of coordination and discipline, and not so subtly hinted heads would be on the chopping block if significant improvement wasn't shown during the next emergency response. Little did the staff know how little time they would have to prepare, but to a person, they were dedicated to achieving one singular goal… Under no circumstances were they going to piss off the Sub-Commander.

For their part, Section 2 had no problems gathering up the pilots and rushing them to the Geofront, the children arriving mere minutes after the alert was sounded. A few minutes later, all three were dressed in their plug suits, gathered at the Eva cages, and all three were wondering what in the hell was going on.

"Hey, Misato!" Asuka yelled up at the Commander, interrupting the conversation she was having with one of the technicians. "You plan on telling us what's going on?! Don't tell me that Angels are attacking again!"

Misato frowned, annoyed at how the girl always felt what she had to say were the most important words spoken in any room. She quickly got over it, as she needed to brief the kids anyway. "Not an Angel… An Eva, not unlike what we saw with the Eva series. We have reliable information that a member of SEELE has launched some advanced prototype of an Evangelion, and it's possibly on its way here to attack the Geofront."

"You can't be serious…" Shinji mouthed though he had no doubts that she was.

"We haven't confirmed this information as of this time, but we're not taking any chances."

As if on cue, Lieutenant Aboa noticed a blip appear on the radar. "Commander, we have a hit! We've just picked up an object on radar speeding towards the Japanese coast! From the looks of its trajectory, the object is heading in this direction!"

"How long do you estimate it will take for the object to reach Tokyo 3?"

"Well, if the speed it's moving at right now holds steady Commander… I'd say in a little less than an hour."

"At least that gives some time…" Misato shifted her focus to the three pilots below. "Okay guys, here's the deal. We're going to try to confront whatever this thing is on the outskirts of town. Shinji, I'm going to have you take point and confront the enemy head on if need be. Rei, since Unit 00 still only has five minutes of battery life without a power source, we're going to have you support Unit 1 from a distance. Now let's get moving guys!"

"Wait a second!" Asuka chimed in. "What about me?!"

"Asuka… You and Unit 2 will wait here on standby in case Units 01 & 00 are both incapacitated."

"You want me to sit here and rot while they get all the action?! I should be out there helping! I'm a far better shot than Wondergirl anyway!"

"She is technically correct Commander."

Misato ignored Rei, knowing that her stating of the obvious wasn't Rei trying to convince Misato to deploy Asuka rather than her. Asuka though, she knew she couldn't tune out. "Asuka… You know full well why you have to stay behind. You're sync rate just isn't high enough to choose you over Shinji and Rei."

"But…"

"No arguments… You're not being deployed unless it's absolutely necessary. Now that's the end of this discussion. Let's get moving!"

Biting her lower lip, Asuka did her best impression of a four-year-old angry that it was nap time, and stomped her foot. Okay, perhaps it wasn't quite that childish, but she was still pouting and was totally unapologetic about it. Shinji looked to her with a sympathetic smile, but on the inside he was majorly relieved Asuka wouldn't be taking part in any potential combat. He never liked the thought of Asuka or Rei putting themselves in harm's way but now… Just the thought of Asuka being hurt because she couldn't sync properly with her Evangelion was enough to nearly bring on a panic attack.

"Sorry Asuka… But hey, we don't even know for sure if we even have an enemy to fight yet… Either way, I'm sure you would've torn whatever this thing is a new hole, but for this once just leave it to us."

Asuka's expression left no illusion that she was in the mood to be consoled. Shinji had pulled back the hand he was going to place on her shoulder… He was learning fast when to and not to push certain buttons with the red-head. "I better be going," Shinji said, as he saw a pair of techs near his Eva's cage waving him over, anxious to get him inside his entry plug and into the purple behemoth. "Let's hope for the best…"

"Shinji…" she said softly, stopping the boy in his tracks.

"Yes Asuka?"

"If the worst does happen… You better not die out there stupid…"

Shinji's sad smile belayed his own sense of dread. If everything Kaworu had told him was destined to come to pass… He may have to leave everything he had out on that battlefield. "I don't plan on dying… Not when I finally have something to come back to…"

"Idiot…" Turning slowly, she wrapped her arms around his waist as she buried her forehead into his shoulder. "You're turning me into mush… I'm not sure I like…"

Shinji only smiled in response. He kissed the side of her head, and freed himself from her embrace. Asuka didn't put up much resistance, though she couldn't fight back the sense of dread she felt as he headed towards his entry plug. She'd give anything if she could only take his place.

* * *

Commander Katsuragi's plan seemed simple enough… So simple in fact, it hardly felt like a plan at all. Not that Shinji cared, he was too on edge, and Rei wasn't one to question orders. Shinji did support the idea of confronting the incoming EVA outside of the city. Even on full alert, with everyone in the city safe within their shelters, a battle inside Tokyo 3 itself would unavoidably result in massive casualties. Misato and the bridge staff were still hanging on to the hope that the threat of an Eva attack was nothing more than a bluff, and this unidentified blip on the radar would prove to be something inconsequential. Shinji knew better though. After his talk with Kaworu, he knew what he was going up against… And the drastic measures he might have to take to stop it.

Shinji was pacing back and forth in a large open field that was along the projected trajectory path of the incoming object. Unit 1's S2 engine allowed him to roam freely without fear of his Eva running out of juice. Rei was not so fortunate, and was stuck anchored a mile or so away near the closest serviceable power source. She'd be providing support for Shinji with her positron rifle while Shinji would have to go at it alone if it came down to a melee battle. Asuka had blasted Misato for the setup of the two units, pointing out how easy it would be for the Rouge Eva to simply change its flight path and bypass the Evangelion roadblock, providing the invader an unabated path to the Geofront. Misato looked passed being second guessed, and simply informed Asuka that she was playing off the hunch that, if SEELE truly had unleashed an advanced Eva Unit against them, one of its objectives would likely be to destroy the other Eva units.

"The bogey is still approaching fast Commander," Aboa informed the crew as he studied the radar. "It should make contact with Unit's 1 and Zero in less than fifteen minutes…"

"Is the object in camera view yet?"

"No Commander… Unfortunately, the object won't be in range until it's almost on top of Shinji and Rei…"

"Damn it…" She knew even NERV couldn't have camera's set up every few feet from coast to coast but still… "Damn it!"

As it would turn out, Zeus was ahead of schedule. A minute or so later, NERV security cameras picked up the first images of what they would be going up against. It was as if their worst nightmares were coming true.

"It doesn't look all that different from our Eva's except for the color…" Hyuga noted, the jet black color and the unhinged jaw. The feral snarl of the Eva Series was still fresh in all their minds. "Maybe it's not all that different structurally either."

"It doesn't matter either way," said the Commander. "It's the explosives resting inside that abomination that are my primary concern." Misato quickly got on the horn with her two active pilots. "Shinji, Rei… The target is approaching fast… We've confirmed that is an Evangelion. Though it doesn't appear structurally different from our Units, don't be deceived by it. Also keep in mind that this thing is rigged to explode and blow us all to hell, so please be careful."

Shinji didn't respond… Hell he barely heard what Misato had said… He was too transfixed on the jet black missile speeding towards him like the Angel of Death ready to reap judgment on all the unworthy… The pun wasn't intended, that's just what the damn thing looked like…

"Shinji, are you there? Shinji!"

"I'm here, and so is it Misato… I'm getting ready to engage…"

"Shinji! Don't do anything rash… Use your rifle and see if you can't blow that bastard out of the sky!"

"Right…" The gun was already in Shinji's hand, as he had anticipated having to use it. "He knelt down, steadied himself and aimed. It was only seconds later that the monster came into range. Without hesitation he fired the first shot. It was a direct hit, connecting with the incoming Eva's neck, but Zeus appeared to shake it off as if a gnat had just flown into his face. Shinji fired again, and again… Each shot just seemed to bounce right off of Zeus without any effect. Panicked, Shinji unloaded the rest of the clip into the descending monster, but received no reward for the effort. Shinji tossed the gun aside, and went for his progressive knife, but before he could get a grip on it, Zeus crashed into him. The black unit tackled the purple unit to the ground, dragging it hundreds of feet before skidding to a stop. Zeus lifted up to one knee, straddling its prey. The beast let out a primal scream as it lifted its arm, and what appeared to be its own version of a progressive knife protruded out from its wrist. Before it could deliver the kill shot though, he was interrupted… By a bullet between the eyes. Zeus howled in surprise more than anything as it shook its head, not so much hurt as very annoyed. It looked off into the distance to see another Evangelion crouched down with a rifle in her hand. Unit Zero fired again, this time staggering the Black Eva a bit.

"Get off of me!" Shinji grunted, using the distraction to unpin himself from underneath Zeus. He staggered to his feet, and immediately went for his knife. He turned towards Zeus, hoping to catch the Black Eva from behind while its attention was on Rei, only to find Zeus looking directly at him. Its jaws open wide, he delivered a blast directly into Unit 1's chest.

Now, Shinji wasn't sure what it felt like to get hit with an N2 mine, nobody did since being instantly incinerated was part of the process. Shinji decided this must be what it felt like if one had time to process the type of pain felt before the body turned into ash. The explosion in the center of Unit 1's chest sent the purple cyborg hurdling backward, reclaiming the ground it lost when Zeus had dive-bombed it. When Unit 01 finally skidded to a stop, it laid there motionless. Back at NERV Head Quarters, with Shinji unresponsive, all hell was breaking loose.

"Shinji! Damn it, answer me Shinji!" Misato pleaded frantically. She would've been satisfied with any type of communication, but all she received over the com was silence… Not even static. It was if Unit 1 had been sucked into a black hole.

"I'm not getting any vital signs for Unit 1 commander," Maya stammered reluctantly. "I'm not getting any readings form Unit 1 at all though. I don't know if that's because Shinji is deceased, or if that explosion fried the Eva's internal hardware…."

"He's gotta be there… He wouldn't go down that easily…" Misato hoped more than really believed that.

Misato wasn't the only person trying to contact the Pilot of Unit 1 without reward of a response. "Shinji! Answer me damn it! What's going on out there?!" Asuka yelled into the com.

"Damn it, I should be out there… I need to be out there… I'm going to be out there!" She just didn't care anymore. NERV could court-martial her for all she cared, she just couldn't bare to sit back not knowing what was going on out there. Asuka took every step necessary to manually launch her Eva from the holding bay… It was all to no avail, as the manual release would not respond. "Why the hell am I still sitting here?! Launch damn you, launch!"

"Umm… Commander," Hyuga looked up at Misato, noticing erratic readings coming from Unit 2. "It appears you were right…Asuka is trying to manually launch Unit 2."

"I figured that would happen. That's why I had you lock down the manual controls. In fact, go ahead and mute her com too. I've got enough stress to deal with without having to hear her curse me out every other sentence."

"Misato! What the hell is the big idea locking me do…" That was as far as Asuka got with that sentence before the com link between herself and the bridge was cut. Thirty seconds of cursing and screaming later, she realized Misato had cut her com which led to another massive meltdown. How Asuka wished she wasn't in her entry pug, because then at least she could find something to throw. "Damn it, I hate this! Why am I even here if they think I'm so useless?!"

Asuka applied pressure to her face with her palms, trying to calm herself. Steadying her breath, she switched her com link from the bridge back to Unit 01. "Shinji… Damn it you idiot, you better not be dead! Answer me already!"

Back on the bridge, Misato and company had little time to savor their success at keeping one problem child in line. Now it was time to deal with a second one.

"Um, Commander!" Hyuga yelped suddenly. "Unit 00 has unplugged her power cord, and is rushing towards the black Evangelion!"

"What?! What the hell is she doing?! Open her channel, and put it on speaker now!" Hyuga complied instantly. "Rei, what are you doing?! We don't know enough about this Eva yet for you to risk running out of power! Don't engage, that's an order! Please do not engage!"

Rei's response was to close her channel to the bridge, much to the shock Commander Katsuragi. She could only watch the video fed in abject horror as Unit 00 moved within striking distance of Zeus, her progressive knife drawn. "Stupid girl… Why of all times would you choose to ignore orders now?"

The answer to that question was quite obvious when you thought about it. For a complicated girl, Rei's motives weren't usually hard to figure out, especially on the rare occasions they were driven by raw emotion. Rei had witnessed Zeus launch that devastating attack on Unit 1, and more importantly, listened as Shinji was unresponsive afterward. Shinji was all she had left, one of the few reasons she could find to go on living in a world where many considered her an abomination. Mad science run a muck. The thought of losing him threw the usually stoic girl into a blind rage. Unaccustomed to this emotion, she did not resist it, giving in to the overwhelming desire to take that knife and stick it in this bastard's throat. It seemed like she might succeed to, but Zeus held his ground, catching both her arms, one hand on each holding her back. The black Eva Unit was considerably stronger than the prototype, but sheer determination and rage were fueling Rei enough that she was able to prevent Zeus from completely overwhelming her. At least at first… When Rei began to threat that she might not be strong enough to out muscle the Black Eva, her confidence wavered, and Zeus immediately began taking the upper-hand. Zeus powered Unit 00 down to its knees. Releasing her non-armed hand, he delivered a violent downward punch to the top of 00's head, a blow that would've knocked the Unit to the ground if Zeus hadn't still been holding on to her other arm. Gasping for breath inside og the entry plug, Rei grabbed at her head as if this would stop the plug from spinning.

With Unit 00 at his mercy, Zeus yanked the Unit's arm upward and violently, separating the arm from its shoulder. Inside the plug, Rei grasped at her left arm which was now dangling limp at her side. She didn't even notice the long knife protruding from Zeus's wrist until it was plunged deep in Unit 00's abdomen. Rei felt the wind leave her body as she coughed up blood. It would only get worse as Zeus started to slice and cut.

"What the hell is it doing?…" Hyuga asked in horror.

"Oh my god, it's going to saw her in half!" Misato panicked as she realized what the Black Eva was doing. "Cut Rei's neuro connectors now!"

"But she won't be able to connect with her Eva…"

"The only way Rei's going to survive this is if you cut her connection with Unit 00 now! Do it!"

There were no further objection, and so Rei's connection with her Eva was severed mere seconds before Zeus had sliced his way through Unit 00's belly. Retracting it's blade into his wrist, Zeus stuck its gigantic fingers into each side of the wound and began to rip and tare. With a feral growl, Zeus succeeded in separating Unit 00's torso from its lower body. Zeus tossed the upper half of the Eva to the side, the torso landing half a meter away, the black Eva not even bothering to give the discarded piece of garbage a final look. Unit 00's lower half merely fell backward in front of the might of Zeus. As if the beast had received a total high from literally ripping his adversary to pieces, Zeus released a roar that could be heard for miles around. With those two minor obstacles removed from its path, the seemingly unstoppable monster took to the air, continuing on its path to the Geofront.

Hyuga looked up at Commander Katsuragi, his expression conveying what everyone on the bridge was feeling. Total and absolute shock as well as a near crippling sense of dread. "Commander… That thing just went through both of our Eva's like they were cheap toys… What are we going to do?"

"There's only one thing we can do…" Misato said with no small amount of regret. "Order a full evacuation of the facility aside from essential personal. As of this moment, Project Deep Freeze is officially in effect…"

The three so called bridge-bunnies all looked at one another. Project Deep Freeze was so top secret that they knew very little about it, aside from their own personal roles in initiating the plan. The Commander did trust the three enough that she had warned them that Deep Freeze was a last resort type of plan with a high probability of mass casualties.

"Commander…" Maya spoke up sounding worried. "At the rate the Black Eva is going, it'll be here in less than five minutes… That's not nearly enough time to evacuate the entire complex."

"I know," came Misato's simple reply.

"What about Unit 2?!" Aboa suggested. "Shouldn't we launch her to defend the Geofront? Maybe she could at least buy us the time we need to evacuate."

"What good would that do?" The way her eyes bore into the Lieutenant made him want to crawl into himself and hide. "You just saw what that thing did to Unit's 00 & 01… Unit 02 won't be any more effective, unless your plan was just to dangle Asuka in front that monster like a carrot. Do you want to be the one to ask Asuka to throw her life away while you run away?"

"Umm… No Ma'am, I don't," Aboa submitted. He really hadn't thought about it in those terms.

"Then let's not waste any more time… Let's get as many people out of here as we can… And get Asuka out of Unit 2 and get her somewhere safe. Now, you all should know your assignments. I need to make sure everything is in order…"

Misato's subordinates remained professional and agreed, but as soon as Misato left the bridge, the three long-time friends all looked to one another with the same look of frantic bewilderment. It was hard to believe that the situation had degraded so much so quickly, an all three were thinking along the same lines, wondering what the future was going to hold for them… If they had a future left at all, that was…

* * *

"Damn… How am I not dead?" Shinji asked of himself as he eyes slowly opened. The presence of a warm liquid substance forced his left eye to shut, and it wasn't the LCL. This was actual blood that had dripped from his forehead down into his eye. Shinji wiped what he could from his eye, and as he did so, heard a voice crackle over his com… It was Asuka, pleading with him frantically to respond to her. Shinji tried, but no sound was coming forth from his mouth… Damn, it hurt to talk… It hurt to think… Fuck, it even hurt to blink.

Through the eyes of his Eva, Shinji could see Unit 00 struggle with the jet black demon known as Zeus. Finally, his throat managed to produce a sound. "Rei…"

Shinji watched in horror as Zeus overpowered Unit 00, dislocated her arm, and eventually started tarring the Eva in half. The scene was enough to clear the cobwebs from his head, allowing him to remember that he'd been fighting and how vital success in this battle was to keeping the people he loved safe. He came around just in time to watch Zeus rip Unit 00 clear in half.

"Rei! No!" Shinji frantically struggled to get his Eva back to its feet, but the giant mech remained unresponsive. Shinji could swear that the black beast was taunting him, as it appeared to look his way before it fled the area, presumably headed for the Geofront. Shinji reached an entirely new plane of panic. "Please be okay Rei… Damn it you piece of junk, move! Everybody in the city is going to be killed if I can't do something to stop that thing!"

"It would appear the situation is as dire as we feared," spoke the voice of Kaworu, whose image appeared next to Shinji. His presence stunned Shinji out of his desperate rant.

"Kaworu… How are you here?"

"I'm not here exactly," he began to explain, his usual smile more subdued and sympathetic than normal. "What you see is merely an astral projection of myself. It takes a massive amount of effort to communicate with you like this, so I'll keep this brief." Kaworu coughed in his hand and began. "I was really hoping we wouldn't have to resort to such drastic measures this quickly but… I've acquired the device you requested, and left it in the agreed upon location. I'm assuming there will be no talking you out of the decision you've undoubtedly made."

Shinji was hesitant but nodded his head. "There's no other choice… This Evangelion is everything you said it would be and more… It ripped right through Rei and I like we weren't there, and our strongest weapons didn't even phase it… This may be the only way I stop it, while protecting everyone at the same time…"

"As I assumed…" Kaworu's lips twisted back into his typical smirk. "How do you intend to get your Unit 01 off the mat, to coin a phrase?"

"There's one thing I can try… I can ask Mom for help."

Kaworu had expected this response, but couldn't fight back the misgivings he had about Shinji's plan. "You realize that you have given up a lot to protect this world and the people who live in it. Why do you still appear to feel so indebted to them?"

"It's not so much that… Maybe I feel I owe it to myself. A lot of people consider me a hero for bringing us back from instrumentality, but I've never agreed with that… Maybe after today, I can finally feel like I deserve that title."

"Well then… It does ease my mind to hear you're doing this for yourself, and not just for everyone else… I'll leave you to it then Shinji Ikari… Either way, we'll see each other soon…"

Kaworu's image faded away, leaving Shinji to ponder what exactly the enigmatic former pilot meant by that. Clearing such thoughts from his head, he focused his mind on his Eva… And tried to call out to the only person who could possibly help him.

* * *

Deep inside the Core of Unit 01, a wisp of a person who once lived floated purposelessly in the vast void that was the expanse of Unit 01's core. It was rare she received contact from the outside, so it immediately caught her attention when she heard a voice calling out to her… The voice of Unit 01's pilot and her son… How he had reached her she did not know, but she also didn't care. As if she'd ever ignore a cry for help from her little boy. "Shinji…"

"Mom…" Shinji's eyes snapped open, shocked that he'd gotten a response at all, let alone as quickly and clearly as he had. Fearing that whatever connection he had made might be gone, he shut his eyes tightly and tried to focus. "Mom… Are you still there?"

A brief pause followed before he received his answer. "Yes, it is me Shinji…"

"Mom… This is so great," Shinji laughed, chocking back a few tears that escaped from his eyes. "How am I able to hear you right now?"

"I do not know… Let's not look a gift horse in the mouth… If you're contacting me, then you're obviously piloting Unit 01, and something has gone terribly wrong."

"Yes it has mom… I was fighting with a powerful Eva Unit and now Until 01 is completely unresponsive. I can't even twitch a pinkie right now. The problem is, the Unit I was fighting is now headed for the Geofront, and if I don't do something fast, it's going to destroy the entire city."

"Well, we can't allow that now can we…" said the slow disembodied voice. "I'm unsure as to what you think I can do to help you though…"

"There is one thing we can do mother…"

Yui Ikari remained silent, knowing exactly what her son had in mind. "But Shinji..."

"I know the risks mom… But I can't do nothing again and watch while everyone around me dies… Not when there's a chance I can still put a stop to it… Especially for the people I care about… You should understand better than anyone the willingness to sacrifice yourself for the people that you loved."

Yui didn't respond, but deep from within the Eva's core, she smiled. Her little boy had grown up so much… How she hated that she couldn't be around to have seen it.

* * *

Back at the Geofront, everything was going to hell much more quickly than expected. Zeus would be arriving any minute, the evacuation had barely gotten off the ground, and the worst news yet… Oh damn, it didn't get any worse than this. "What do you mean it's gone?!"

"I mean just that," the scientist said warily, more than a little intimated by his angry superior. "The balkelite bomb is missing…"

"Well then, please explain to me where the hell it could've gone?! That's a 200 million yen device that has the potential to flash freeze a small city, locked in one of the most secure storage facilities in the world, and your telling me the bomb has disappeared?!"

"Yes Commander…."

"Damn it!" Misato's communication device offended her for the final time as she slammed it against the wall, smashing it to pieces. Placing her hands on the table, she hung her head over it, feeling a strong sense of déjà vu harking back to the events leading up to the JSSDF assaulting the Geofront. She had never felt as lousy at her job as she did right now.

"Commander…" Maya addressed Misato warily. "Should we proceed with the plan as instructed? Has something gone wrong?"

" _Has something gone wrong?! Only that there's no way to save the city if we can't trap that damn monster inside the Geofront…Or that we're all basically floating around on a pond like ducks waiting to get shot!"_ Misato showed years of accumulative restraint, as those thoughts didn't form words upon her lips. "Yes, there's been a slight change in plans Maya… Inform Aboa and Hygua to abort their current assignments and shift their focus to evacuating the Geofront as quickly as possible…"

"Um… Yes Commander," Maya obeyed, well aware that her Commander was holding something back, but Maya was too professional to question Misato about it. If anyone had bothered to monitor the Eva's at that moment, they may have noticed Unit 1 activate as Shinji's sync rate spiked to nearly 400%.

* * *

Somewhere on the outskirts of the city, Kaworu stood atop the roof of the building he'd agreed to meet Shinji at. Next to him was a cylindrical bomb like device that was roughly the same size that he was. Escaping the Geofront unnoticed took no small amount of effort, but his other worldly powers had made it possible. "The Lilin baffle me at times… If they'd put half the effort into preserving this world as they do creating weapons capable of destroying themselves, perhaps Second and Third Impact would've never been considered necessary. Oh well, I hope Shinji knows what he's doing, and he'd best hurry." From his vantage point, Kaworu could clearly see Zeus in the distance approaching fast.

* * *

"What's the status of the evacuation Tanaka?!"

"At 30% Commander… Though I fear the evacuation will prove to be more for show than it is effective at preserving lives. Much of our staff doesn't really have any place to go, or the time to get there if they do. Not before that Evangelion arrives… The staff might almost be safer remaining inside the facility."

"You might be right about that…" Misato grumbled, her fingertip in her mouth as she played chess with people's lives. The entire evacuation scenario was intended to help as many staff members as possible avoid getting caught up in the Balkelite blast that was obviously not happening as of now. The bomb itself was what she'd expected to do the most damage, preferably before Zeus had the chance to even get started. Now that Zeus was pretty much free to wreak havoc upon the Geofront completely unchecked, the folks who had cleared the blast zone were now possibly in as much danger as those still stuck inside the complex. "Damn it, we're running out of time!"

Misato got on the com and yelled out orders aimed at the entire facility. "The enemy is almost on us. I repeat, the enemy is closing in and an attack is imminent. All non-essential personal please take cover immediately. At this point, you'll be safer inside the building than you will be outside if you're caught out there when this thing shows up. I repeat, all non-essential personal take cover immediately and brace from enemy attack."

"Um... Commander," Aboa balked, not exactly sure what to make of what he thought he was seeing. "We've picked up another ping on the radar and it's approaching our location fast… It even appears to be moving faster that SEELE's little toy… The object is roughly the size of an Evangelion…"

"Don't tell me there are two of them now!" Misato threated, her head popping up over Aboa's shoulder to get a better look at the radar. "It can't be one of ours. Both our active Eva's are out of commission."

As if on cue, the vitals for Unit 1 suddenly roared back to life... Well sort of… The only major statistic showing was Unit 1's sync rate with its pilot, and the number was staggering to say the least. Maya was so shocked, it hardly even registered that Shinji's heart rate and vitals were still blank. "Commander… You're not going to believe this… Unit 1 has just reactivated!" What Maya didn't know was that Unit 1 had been active for quite some time now. "It shouldn't be possible… Shinji's sync rate is reading five-hundred and thirty-four percent!"

"Over 500…" Misato nearly fell over. On that one occasion when Shinji had topped 400%, he was subsequently absorbed into Unit 1. Did this mean Shinji was… The Commander shook the thought from her mind. There wasn't time to worry about that right now. "Can you get me a visual of Unit 1?"

"I should have one in just a moment," Aboa promised her, and a few key strokes later, he managed to bring up a video feed of a fast approaching Unit 1. Two things stood out immediately. The first was Unit 01's jaw which was completely unhinged and locked in a feral grin. The second thing was… Well… "Um… Did I miss a memo or something? Since when is Unit 01 able to fly?"

"You don't think Unit 01's gone berserk again do you?" Maya asked her Commander as she stared at the screen, feeling obviously mixed emotions.

"It's possible, but hard to tell… All that matters right now is that, assuming Shinji is still in control, we still have a shot at defeating SEELE's Eva… Let's just hope Unit 1 can get here before Zeus wipes us off the map."

* * *

Below the flying black behemoth, the streets of Tokyo 3 were in chaos, and had been ever since the emergency sirens began going off. Luckily for them, the invader had no interest in what he viewed as puny insects. He was less than a mile away from his destination, from his destiny. Zeus was practically hovering over the Central Hub of NERV when it felt a presence speeding towards him from the direction he had just come. Zeus sensed immediately that it was another Evangelion Unit, one that felt much more menacing than the two Eva's Zeus had so easily dispatched mere minutes before. Zeus didn't have to wait long before his new adversary came into view, speeding quickly towards him. The Unit continued to surge forward haphazardly, showing no signs of slowing… It just kept coming, and coming, and coming. Zeus braced itself and within seconds, Until 1 collided with the Black Eva, pushing it forward in an attempt to use its momentum to knock Zeus off of his feet. The Black Evangelion was just too powerful though, and fought the smaller Eva off of his person. Jumping back, Unit 01 fired a blast from seemingly nowhere directed at Zeus's face. The Unit braced itself and absorbed the attack, it having little to no effect. Zeus was distracted defending himself long enough for Unit 01 to speed off and flee from his adversary. Hoping Zeus would give chase, the black Eva took the bait. After all, his primary objective programmed into him by SEELE was to destroy NERV's most dangerous assets, its Evangelions. The destruction of NERV's central headquarters was secondary.

Back in the Geofront, Aboa updated the obvious to everyone listening. "Commander, the incoming Evangelion has rerouted course from the Geofront and is now pursing Unit 01!"

"Commander…" Maya started to ask hesitantly. "Do you think there's a chance Shinji is still piloting Unit 01, or…"

"Or what?" asked the last voice Misato wanted to hear at that moment. Asuka stood behind her, still moist from LCL. She obviously didn't bother showering after being extracted from Unit 02's entry plug, not that she could've if she wanted too, considering they were under evacuation orders at the time. "Why wouldn't Shinji be piloting Unit 01?"

"I don't know," Misato addressed Maya, making a point to ignore Asuka's question. "He's not answering his com, we can't pick up any vitals, and there's that off the charts sync rate… As of now, we can't rule out the possibility that Unit 01 is acting of its own accord…"

"Own accord?..." Asuka muttered to herself, knowing too well what that usually meant… A berserk Eva or worse… "Shinji…"

"Unit 01 and the Black Evangelion have left the city limits Commander…" Hyuga updated. "Right now, it's hard to tell if Unit 01 is running away, or trying to lead SEELE's Eva outside of the city…"

"No, Unit 01 is definitely leading it somewhere… It wouldn't have just attacked SEELE's Eva out of the blue, only to run away. It's almost as if Unit 01 has a plan…" Misato truly did hope this was the case, as it would point to Shinji still being in control of his Eva, to some degree at least.

* * *

Zeus was considerably faster than the older model Shinji usually piloted, but not so much so that it could catch up to Unit 01 with ease. The Black Eva was slowly gaining ground and would eventually catch up, but that didn't matter to Unit 01. The plan was to lure Zeus outside of the city, far enough away, that when Zeus finally did catch up to him, Unit 01 could spring his trap without causing any unnecessary damage to Tokyo 3 and its citizens. So far so good as the two Eva's were now several miles outside of the city. Unit 01 had a particular destination in mind, and it appeared he would reach this location before… If the Eva could talk, it might claim that it spoke too soon. Unit 01 felt a hand grasp around its ankle, and upon looking back saw that Zeus was now in close enough proximity to initiate contact. Unit 01 kicked the hand away and modified its plan accordingly, coming to a stop nearby, hovering over the barren crater of a dormant volcano. The surrounding landscape was a brown lifeless wasteland, ravished by the effects of 3rd Impact.

Unit 01 stood still and waited patiently, though he did not have to wait for long as Zeus sped towards him. Unit 01 made no effort to move or attack, and thus practically invited the black Eva to wrap its hand around the purple mech's throat. The black Eva's blade once again slid out of the compartment on its wrist. It aimed for Unit 01's throat, plunging the blade downward, and finally forcing Shinji's Eva to react. Unit 01 caught Zeus by the wrist, but immediately recognized the magnitude of the struggle he was about to undertake. Unit 01 could barely hold Zeus back. The black Eva was just too powerful, and slowly began to overpower the smaller Evangelion. Luckily for Unit 01, it had no need to overpower Zeus… And actually had the black Eva right where he wanted it. Wearing what could almost be constituted as a smirk, Unit 01 opened its mouth revealing a small, by Eva standards, cylindrical object. Before Zeus had time to process the potential threat, Unit 01 bit down on the object.

The explosion that followed hardly made a sound, but what was left in the balkelite bomb's wake was three square miles of a glass-like material. In the middle of that block of balkelite was Zeus backing away from Unit 01, wearing what almost appeared to be an expression of fear on its face. Unit 01 stared intently at the other Eva, its arms spread outward as if ready to commence their battle. It was a scene literally frozen in time, and would remain that way for years to come.

The staff at NERV Headquarters was awestruck by what they'd just seen. No one was quite sure how to react either. Had they just won? Should they be celebrating? What did all this mean for Unit 01 and its pilot? As for the group amassed on the bridge, only Misato truly understood the extent of what had just happened. She just couldn't understand how it had. "That was the balkelite bomb… But how? How did Shinji get his hands on… It shouldn't be possible…"

Misato's words were as unsteady as her legs which had suddenly gone weak. The Commander had to will herself not to collapse down to her knees in front of her staff. Asuka would've loved to ask what a balkelite bomb was, but she had much deeper concerns at that momnet. "Misato… If I understand what I'm seeing correctly, then this means Shinji is trapped inside Unit 01 which is currently frozen in balkelite correct?" Misato nodded her head slowly, fearing the question that was undoubtedly to follow. Asuka remained rather stoic… Her stance and demeanor made her appear quite serious, but otherwise showed no obvious signs of emotion. "Would I be correct in assuming that there's no feasible way to extract Shinji or Unit 01 from the balkelite?"

Misato didn't want to answer her. Good God, how she didn't want to answer that question. The long pause that followed wasn't helping ebb Asuka's anxiety. The answer would be far worse than Asuka feared. "The balkelite bomb was highly concentrated and designed to completely encase the Geofront in balkelite in the event that we were attacked by an Angel or JSSDF level enemy, and were otherwise unable to stop them."

"I see…" Asuka gulped hard. "And I assume nobody knows how Shinji knew about the bomb, let alone how he got his hands on it without you noticing?"

Another long pause followed before Misato responded. "That statement is accurate…"

"Okay then…" Misato was expecting an eruption to finish the job Third Impact failed to accomplish, and quite frankly, she couldn't blame Asuka if she completely lost it. Strangely though, with an empty look in her eyes, Asuka left the bridge leaving Misato alone with her grief. Sadly, Misato knew she had no choice but to deal with the aftermath of what she had just witnessed before she could even allow the reality of it to sink it.

* * *

"It's no small miracle that we survived this attack," Misato declared, as she marveled at the carnage Zeus had created. Sub-Commander Tanaka was supervising the clean-up of Unit Zero, who Zeus had ripped in half, but Misato felt she needed to see the damage firsthand. "How bad is the damage?"

"Extensive," Tanaka replied as the pair walked a line that stretched the sizable salvage area, considering the mass of Unit 00 and the spread out locations of various Eva parts. "I'm not an expert on the physiology of these mechs of course, but from what our people have told me, it's not good…"

"And what about Rei?..."

"Pilot Ayanami…" Tanaka hesitated briefly. "Survived, but she was in rough shape… Pre-Medical exam, we already know she's suffered a broken arm, numerous lacerations, and a highly probable concussion. She was conscious when she was extracted from the entry plug, so that's was a good sign…"

"That is good… Did she say anything before she was transported to the hospital?"

"Yes…" Tanaka hesitated again, and then looked his Commander in the eye, showing her the utmost respect. "She asked me how her brother was doing…"

Misato was caught off guard, enough so that she stopped walking, and had to fight to catch her breath. Tanaka waited patiently for Misato to recover, and then they continued their walk. "What did you say to her when she asked you that?"

"I told her the truth… That her brother sacrificed himself to stop the rouge Eva, and saved Tokyo 3 from annihilation." Tanaka predicted Misato's next question and answered that one too. "I can't quite tell you how she took the news… She had no noticeable reaction, and did not utter another word, not even as they were loading her up in the ambulance to take her back to the Geofront."

"The fact that she asked you how Shinji was doing at all should tell you what she was feeling at that moment…" Misato sighed, knowing what she would have to do next. "Regardless, knowing she's still alive is encouraging news… News I really needed at the moment. I'll leave you to handle the rest of the clean up here Tanaka… I have to… I'm going to visit the detonation site of the balkeltite bomb…"

Though his stern by-the-book demeanor would never betray a hint of it, he truly pitied his Commander at that moment. Her affection for the pilot of Unit 01 was secret to no one. "Understood Commander… I'll update you if we find anything out of the ordinary."

"Thank you Tanaka." Misato came to a dead stop when she saw the car that would escort her to the giant ice sculptor that had been abruptly erected five miles east of town. With a deep breath, she willed her feet to move towards the awaiting vehicle that would take her to face the most difficult thing she'd likely ever have to endure in her life. For someone who experienced two impacts, sent children she loved to certain death on countless occasions, and worked for Satan himself, Gendo Ikari, that was saying something.

* * *

Asuka Langley Soryu had been a blank slate ever since she had fled the bridge for somewhere a little less suffocating. She chose the pilot's changing room for privacy purposes, and once she got there, was anything other than a blank slate. She was more like a raging bull on a rampage, ripping lockers off hinges, punching others, and throwing everything not nailed to the wall or the ground.

"Damn stupid baka! You just had to go play the big hero again didn't you?! Show everybody else up right?! Well congrada-fucking-lations! You saved the city again, and this time, nobody had to die except for you! Shinji the Martyr, I bet you're probably expecting a fucking statue too aren't you!... Bastard!"

It had been quite an annoyance the moment when Asuka first realized that focused rage no longer felt quite as good as it once had… Sometimes it just felt petty and non-constructive, like now for instance. Face red from tears she barely realized she'd cried, she dropped to the ground, pulling her legs up to her face so she could bury it in them. "I should've never let myself get close to him… Every time I do, that person finds a way to either leave me or hurt me… Shinji was the one person I let myself hope I would never have to fear that from, and if he didn't just do both… Damn you Shinji… What am I supposed to do now you selfish bastard?!"

"Selfish Bastard? You have always been quite the interesting one haven't you Asuka Langley? What Shinji has done is completely selfless, and yet you can still manage to twist his sacrafice for the people of this city into some kind of intentional slight against you."

Asuka's head snapped upward, not so much shocked that someone was in the locker room with her, but rather by whom it was. "You…"

Kaworu stood over her, that typical smug smile on his face, and it stayed there even as Asuka's hand wrapped around his throat and shoved him up against the lockers. "You son of a bitch! You got Shinji that bomb didn't you?! You're the only one who could've gotten past security to get your hands on it!"

"Astute observation Mrs. Soryu," Kaworu said still smiling.

"Why would you do that?! I thought you were supposed to be his friend or something?! Why would you help him throw his life away like that?!"

"I helped him because he asked me to... In order to safeguard the Lilin he loves, such as yourself. A sacrifice you don't appear to appreciate."

"I didn't need him to sacrifice himself for me!" Asuka half growled and half sobbed as she released the reformed Angel's throat. "I didn't need him to protect me! I just needed him with me, and the idiot couldn't even do that right! This city could've just burnt in hell for all I care!"

"Ho… Now who's sounding selfish?"

"So what if I'm being selfish, I don't give a damn! We risked our lives so many times for those same people… My life has been shit, nothing but hard work and dedication, and it's gotten me absolutely nothing! Shinji was the one thing I had in my life that made me feel normal, and now he's gone… So please forgive me if I sound selfish!" Asuka punctuated that sentence with another right hook to the closest unfortunate locker.

"Hum…" Kaworu sang, his smile broadening.

"What?" she snarled, seriously considering if she needed to punch this douche in the face.

"Oh it's nothing… I never could understand why Shinji held so much affection for you, but now I'm starting to see why."

"Well, fantastic for you, now why the hell are you here?!"

"Believe it or not… To apologize to you."

Asuka's brow furrowed as she stared at the reformed angel as if he'd just grown a second head. "Why the hell would you feel the need to apologize to me?!"

"I may not have pushed him to make the decisions he has made, but I didn't try that hard to talk him out of them either… I'm also the one who informed Shinji about the balkelite bomb, and as you deduced earlier, I helped him acquire it."

"Great…" Asuka grunted, her hands clenched into fists. "So you enabled him to play the big hero, so he could protect all of us pathetic people he didn't think were capable of protecting themselves. What are you expecting? Me to forgive for your role in his idiocy?"

"To answer your question, no I'm not expecting forgiveness from you, nor do I feel responsible enough to even desire it. What I do understand, is that you were important to Shinji, which makes how you perceive him important to me. Many of his final thoughts centered around you… Fearing how his demise might affect you, and weighing that against what might happen if he didn't stop SEELE's Evangelion. He almost wavered in those final moments, but in the end, he couldn't bring himself to imagine a world without you in it… Even if he wasn't able to be there with you."

By then Asuka was hiding her face behind her hand, fighting and failing to hold her tears at bay. She didn't want to be hearing any of this. She desperately needed her anger to lean on, to burn away her own self-pity. She wasn't ready to consider Shinji was anything more than a selfish coward who found yet another way to run away. Even if she knew deep down, none of this was true, she needed to pretend it was and pretend to hate him for it. She might completely fall to pieces otherwise. "Why are you telling me this?! Is it supposed to make me feel better?!"

"I had my doubts it would… But now, if anything I came to you to solidify my own piece of mind… And I felt I owed you as much for the brief but abundant happiness you'd brought into his life… I also felt obligated to let you know on his behalf… That his heart was still with you, up until the very last moment.

"Stop it, just stop it! All you're doing is reminding me of what I'm never going to have again! I can't listen to any more of it!" Asuka had dropped down to her knees practically cradling herself. "Please just leave me alone…"

Several moments passed with no response, leading Asuka to wonder if Kaworu had respected her request. Sure enough, when she looked behind her, he was gone. She was thankful for that, but hated him for sucking all the anger out of her, an emotion that had served as her security blanket for years. All Kaworu had left her with was a shattered heart, and the inability to hate the man she loved. She couldn't stay in that locker room, she decided, or even the Geofront for that matter. Drying her eyes, she straightened herself up and exited the changing room. She walked tall, showing no signs of emotional strife. That's what she wanted anyone she might've passed in the halls to see, rather than see how badly she was hurting inside. Her days of exposing her emotions where people could easily see them were over, as short-lived as those days might've been for the handful of people who got to enjoy them. Asuka lost count of how many people she passed in the hall ignoring their stares as she walked passed them. She refused to look anyone in the eye, knowing all she was going to see was pity in them. Oh, how she despised being pitied.

She would blame Shinji for the months to come for the raging storm of bitterness and contempt that would come to engulf her life. More than Shinji though, she would blame herself. She was the one who let Shinji get too close, and then foolishly opened her heart to him. Just as everyone else she ever loved had, he spat on that gift and abandoned her. She would never make that mistake again… Never again would she allow someone to get close enough that they could devastate her like losing Shinji had. This was the promise she made to herself as she fled out the front entrance of the Geofront, still dressed in her plug suit and with LCL dripping from her hair.

* * *

Misato let out a sigh as she arrived at her apartment, but it wasn't a sigh of relief at returning home after a long day at the office. Honestly, she was only here because she had nowhere else to go. She was far too exhausted to do what she really wanted to do, get shit-face wasted and with any luck, flood out some of the images of Shinji that had been swimming around in her head these past few hours. Seeing Unit 01 frozen in balkelite did nothing but hammer home the fact that Shinji would never be coming home. Even if there was a way to extract Unit 01 from the balkelite without realizing Zeus in the process, Shinji likely would not have survived… Unless he'd been absorbed into Unit 01, which was only a marginally better option. Of course, this was all theory, and human tissue had never been tested to see if it could survive being flash-frozen in balkelite, but simple physics and common sense would suggest it's not. Despite all the technical marvels mankind could dream up, thawing out a caveman who'd been frozen in ice for 10,000 years will win you nothing but a dead caveman.

Misato staggered into the apartment to bit of a surprise, the faint stench of dried blood. Misato felt some relief to know that Asuka was home rather than off brooding somewhere she shouldn't. Misato found the red-head on the sitting room couch, her chin resting on her knees. Apparently, she either didn't make it to her bedroom, or for whatever reason didn't want to be in there. She was wearing a nightgown, but otherwise Misato could tell Asuka had done little to clean herself up after emerging from Unit 02's entry plug.

"Hey…" Misato greeted the girl, though honestly had no inclination as to where to continue the conversation from there. Asuka didn't help either, as she merely grunted. Sighing again, Misato leaned up against the couch next to her ward, allowing silence to linger for several minutes. "Rei's got a dislocated shoulder, a few fractured ribs, and some cuts and bruises… Otherwise, she's in remarkably good shape considering."

"Isn't that great for Wondergirl…" Asuka snorted, though lacking the bile she would've liked to accompany the comment.

"Come on Asuka… I know you guys don't get along that well, but you can't tell me it's so bad that you can't be relieved she's not dead…" Asuka didn't respond. Misato could sense her pulling deeper into her shell. "Asuka listen to me…"

"No don't… I don't want to hear it…" she pleaded in as neutral a tone as she could manage.

"You might not want to hear it, but you need to…"

"Damn it Misato, just save it for somebody else will you?!" Asuka screamed up at her guardian. "I already know what you're going to say! You're going to try to sell me on how Shinji died to protect us, and how everything is going to be okay… Everything is not okay! Shinji's not with me anymore and there's nothing remotely okay about that! There's nothing good about this… Nothing is okay, and things aren't going to be okay for a long time…"

Misato looked down at the girl, stunned to silence by her outburst… And apparently won over by it, as she collapsed down on the couch next to Asuka. "I know… No matter how many different ways I try to spin what happened in my head, I just can't come up with anything positive… I should be thankful for what he did for us… There's no telling how many lives would've been lost if I would've had to detonate that bomb inside the Geofront… I should be grateful, but I'm just not…" She was sobbing by this point, barely avoiding breaking down entirely. "I'm too angry and way too confused to be grateful… I could barely bring myself to come home knowing Shinji wasn't going to be here… I wasn't sure if I could handle it…"

"Why should you be grateful? You have every right to angry…" Asuka wasn't showing it outwardly, but Misato might have just ripped her heart in half if it hadn't already been broken. Empathy was not an emotion she experienced often. "Let the people who didn't know Shinji from their third cousin's dentist be grateful… They didn't have to lose anything… They get to go on living their lives that Shinji saved like nothing ever happened. We don't get that luxury… We didn't get anything but an empty bedroom down the hall, and a void in our hearts the size of the Evangelion Shinji piloted. I say we deserve to be angry, and have every right to wallow in our own self-pity if we so chose. We deserve something don't we?"

Misato couldn't argue with her logic… She'd have been too exhausted to argue even if she'd wanted to anyhow. Both women stared blankly, Asuka at the wall, and Misato at the ceiling. Neither were seeing what was within their line of sight, but rather looking past them and seeing nothing but that balkelite bomb exploding, and in Misato's case, the massive block of glass that would immortalize the struggle been Unit 01 and Zeus for years to come. Yes indeed, it would be a long time before things were ever okay again within the Katsuragi household.

End of Chapter 19

* * *

 _-And so ends the main arch of my story. Don't fret though, this isn't quite the end even though the end of this chapter seems like it definitely could've been. I haven't communicated with the readers all that much, up until this point there hasn't been much reason too. The first seven or eight chapters of this story opened to a response I could only compare to crickets chirping, but I've amassed a nice little reader base since, that I felt I owed an explanation too. The last several chapters of this fic are obviously going to be taking a drastically different direction from the previous 19, and I can warn you right now that some of you are going to love it, some of you will hate it, and I'm sure even a few of you will think I should've ended the story right here. That's just not my style though. When I first began this story, I wanted to accomplish two things with it... The first is what I stressed at the beginning, that I wanted to create an Asuka/Shinji pairing story that was believable... Well, believable within the bizarre universe of Evangelion, that didn't fall back on drastic and immediate changes to the core characters. My second goal, was to create a story that I personally would've enjoyed reading if I happened to stumble across it while looking for a good piece of Evangelion fan-fiction. I've had so much working on this story, and I'm not sure how many readers realize just how important it is for a fan-fiction writer to have fun in order to complete a project like this. Too many would-be authors take criticisms too personally and compromise their work and change to satisfy the whims of what they think the readers want, rather than sticking to their original vision. Falling into that trap can make writing more laborious than fun, resulting in many of these tales getting abandoned way too early. I should know, I've fallen into that pit before. I'm very proud of the ending I have planed for this tale, and I fully stand by it, though I'm well aware it may prove divisive in the end. I do hope you enjoy reading it as much as I've enjoyed working on it. The questions I'm sure you all have circling in your heads will be answered soon._


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Quite some time had passed since Shinji Ikari's short but decisive battle against Zeus. While he was never forgotten, time plays no favorites, and did not stop to allow the people who loved him most to mourn his loss. Lives still had to be lived, work needed to be done. Misato Katsuragi was still in charge of NERV and was now down to one functional Eva and two emotionally tortured pilots. Misato was also still very much the guardian of a heartbroken girl at home who had all but crawled back into that cement fortress she'd erected so many years ago. The only reason Misato Katsuragi hadn't cried for Shinji more than she had was because she just didn't have the time too.

Misato found it difficult to decide who took Shinji's loss worse, Asuka or Rei… Asuka would've been the obvious choice if the other option had been anyone else other then Rei Ayanami. With the loss of the person she'd come to consider her brother, she lost the only person she still had any attachment too in this world. It was his perception of her that willed Rei to think of herself as a human being, and more than just some science experiment created to fulfill the will of Shinji's late father. Everything she'd striven to become since she had met Shinji, she'd been guided to do through Shinji's encouragement and his belief that she could be so much more than what those who had created her intended her to be.

Seeing Rei Ayanami show any kind of emotion was rare, and often times disturbing due to her blunt and often misguided paths she took to explore those emotions. To see Rei Ayanami crawl into the fetal position and ball her eyes out felt like something out of the twilight zone. Misato was concerned enough that she put Rei on suicide watch for several weeks, but fortunately, Rei never showed any signs of doing anything stupid. It would be a long time before Rei was right in the head again, or at least as right in the head as Rei was capable of being.

Asuka was a total beast to wrangle. All the progress she had made personally since arriving in Tokyo 3 was instantly undone with the death of Shinji Ikari. She more or less reverted back to the way she had been when she had first met Shinji, though maybe not quite as obnoxious or rude. Still, she shut everyone out, even Misato and Hikari. Like good Guardians and good best-friends do though, Asuka's support circle stayed patient and eventually worked their way back into Asuka's life. Over the years, Asuka would gradually move into the light. She would even learn to stop resenting Shinji for leaving her, and would even come to appreciate what he'd sacrificed for her… She would never quite be able to bring herself to forgive him completely though for not being there with her. It wasn't an easy road Asuka had been on while adjusting herself into a stable lifestyle. That road had taken her into some dark places, and she'd done some things she wasn't proud of. As fate often dictated though, it was when things looked their bleakest that Asuka would first lay her eyes on the light that would once again fill her life with purpose. She would name that light Kasumi Amelia Soryu. That small child brought back the purpose in Asuka's life that she'd lost with Shinji gone, and Eva no longer nearly as important to her as it once was.

Asuka wasn't the only person whose life was influenced by little Kasumi… She would quickly become the glue that held Asuka's little extended family together… And not that one in Germany either. It wasn't like Asuka hadn't tried to salvage some form of relationship with them either. She had even moved back to Germany shortly after finding out she was pregnant, not even so much to reconnect with her Father and step-family, as just for the change of scenery. She was still in a dark place at the time, and getting away from that place with all the bitter memories seemed the logical choice to make. As much as Asuka loved her homeland, it took less than a month for her to realize there was nothing there for her… Her so-called family had changed little, and while there was some interest in welcoming the first grandchild into the world, that interest was limited and didn't really extend to Asuka herself. Sometimes you have to go home to realize where home actually is… So she left Germany behind for good, still hasn't gone back to this day, and returned to where she felt he belonged. That small select group of people that had drawn Asuka back had splintered some, but Kasumi's birth helped to patch up whatever holes had been made in those relationships. Asuka's 'family' revolved around Kasumi, and Asuka often joked that it was like the girl had four mothers or at least three heavily involved aunts. Hikari and Misato, there was no surprise there. Asuka had little doubt they'd fight over who was going to take custody of her if anything ever happened to Asuka.

Rei on the other hand, was a total surprise. From the first time Rei held Kasumi as a baby, she fell in love with her. While Asuka and Rei never became what you would call friends, they did at least learn to tolerate each other primarily for Kasumi's sake. There was little doubt in Asuka's mind that Rei adored the girl, and Kasumi practically worshiped the woman she used to call Auntie Rei when she was younger. Oh, how quickly those days come and go… Before you know it days, weeks, and months have gone by… Months turn into years, years then to decades and so on… It just didn't seem right to Asuka when Kasumi had started High School earlier that year… Asuka was still coming to grips that Kasumi was no longer that little red-headed baby who could barely waddle two steps without falling on her face. Today in particular was a tough day for any mother struggling with her little one growing up. Today was her little girl's birthday, and as it was every year, it was going to be a festive day at the Soryu household.

Asuka hummed contently as she stood over the stove in her kitchen, working on a German style breakfast, Kasumi's favorite. Asuka wasn't the best cook in the world, but over the years she had taught herself well enough to become serviceable. A knock at the door briefly broke her out of her trance like focus on her task at hand. "The doors unlocked, come on in!"

A head of lavender hair poked inside the doorway, and its owner waved at Asuka upon seeing her at work in the kitchen. The years had been kind to Misato Katsuragi, so kind in fact that it kind of pissed Asuka off a little. Not many women in their 40's still looked almost as good as they did at half that age. The stray wrinkle or two that popped up on her face only served to make her look more distinguished. Asuka really didn't have the right to complain however… She herself still looked like she was in her early 20's… It turned out that one of the strange side effects of LCL was that it slowed or could even stunt the aging process. Numerous tests Asuka had been subjected to by NERV even proved that her vital organs and such were consistent with those of someone half her age. Now, as to how stunted the aging process had become, or if it would extend Asuka's life at all, was still unknown. They wouldn't know until Asuka lived long enough to test the theories the various NERV scientists had cooking. Asuka only needed to look at Rei to satisfy her own feelings on the matter. Rei hadn't aged much either, maybe even less than Asuka herself. Thankfully, neither looked so young that they could be mistaken for children.

"Morning Asuka… Look what I found lurking in the halls."

"Oh Please," said a women who vaguely resembled Asuka's class representative in middle school, and throughout most of High School, as she pushed passed Misato and into the modest-sized apartment. Following close behind her, was a tall young man who bowed politely to Misato, who smiled in returned. "Sneaking about isn't my style… If I'm not welcome somewhere, I simply wouldn't be there."

"Hikari, I wasn't expecting you so early!" Asuka abandoned the stove momentarily to greet the woman who had gone from being her best friend in Japan to likely the best friend she'd ever had in her life, wrapping her in a warm hug.

"Yeah… We weren't going to drop by until later, but somebody was impatient," Hikari snickered pointing her thumb in the direction of the boy who seemed to be trying to hide behind her, which was difficult considering he was slightly taller than she was. "Weren't we Shin?"

"It has nothing to do with patience Mom… You're the one who suggested I distract Kasumi while you guys set up for the party, remember?" The boy explained in manner reminiscent of his mother back in her class-rep days.

"Which you could've done this afternoon like we planned, but somebody just couldn't wait to see Kasumi."

"Whatever…" the boy groaned crossing his arms, now looking more like his father. Asuka leered at him with an evil grin, seizing on an opportunity she just couldn't pass up. She just loved messing with the boy.

"That's so sweet of you Shin. You've always been so considerate to our little Kasumi… You do such a fine job looking after her."

"It's… It's not how you make it sound Ms. Soryu! I just um…" Asuka laughed as Shin's cheeks went blood red, and she took that as her cue to lighten up on the boy. She found him adorable when he was flustered. He was his mother made over in a lot of ways. He was tall and had an athletic build like this father… There were times when Asuka still couldn't believe Hikari actually married that Suzahara idiot, but at least Toji had become less insufferable as matured… No, as he aged, matured wasn't the right word at all. Everything else about young Shin though, came almost exclusively from his mother. He had her face minus the freckles, her mannerisms, her sense of duty, as well as being responsible, extremely well-mannered, and no-nonsense… Except for where Kasumi was concerned which had earned him excessive teasing at the hands of both his mother and Asuka.

"We know, we know… You guys are just friends, and there's nothing secretly going on between you two. We promise, we believe you…" Asuka cracked, as she returned to the stove. "And for the millionth time Shin, call me Asuka. You've literally lived almost half your life under my roof, so this Ms. Soryu crap couldn't be more redundant."

"Yes Ma'am… I'll try to remember that," Shin agreed, slightly horrified. Calling a respected elder by her first name just seem so unforgivably improper to the courteous well-mannered boy.

"Shin, why don't you go wake Kasumi up, so hopefully she'll actually be semi-conscious once her mother is finished fixing her breakfast," Hikari suggested to her son. He nodded, and then walked the familiar path down the hall to his oldest friend's bedroom.

While Hikari placed a few party necessities on the table, including Kasumi's gift from her and Toji, Misato lurked up behind Asuka as she worked the stove. "You're actually cooking her breakfast? You wouldn't want to poison the poor girl on her birthday now would you?"

Asuka glared at her surrogate mother, spatula in hand as if she was debating smacking her former guardian in the face with it. "Are you suggesting that I can't prepare a proper meal for my own daughter on her birthday?"

"Well, there's a first time for everything." Misato laughed as Asuka growled at her, before placing a hand on Asuka's shoulder. "Just messing with you… What can I help out with?"

"Don't drink all the beer before the party for starters," Asuka joked as Misato rolled her eyes. "Seriously though, if you could set the table that would be great.

"Will do Commander Soryu sir!"

After knocking on her door twice and getting no response, Shin decided the heck with it, and let himself into Kasumi's bedroom. It wouldn't be the first time after all. Kasumi was as aware as anyone that she slept like a hibernating bear. Shin entered the room cautiously. He immediately smirked and shook his head at the sight of his childhood friend sprawled out on the bed. Arms and legs were going everywhere, some of those limbs dangling off the queen sized bed. Shin could not deny that she looked adorable when she slept.

"HCKKK…ZZZZ" Kasumi snored, completely destroying Shin's image of the peaceful snoozing angel, replaced by an image of Kasumi chasing him through the forest with a chainsaw. Shaking his head again, he reached down and tried shaking her shoulder, hoping to pry the girl out of the realm of sleep. The first attempt resulted in some grumbly protests, but on the second try and after a steady 'wake up' from Shin, her eyes finally began to open. Slowly they focused on her closest friend, which did not disturb her, seeing as Shin had served as her alarm clock on numerous occasions.

"Good morning…" the red-headed teen smirked wickedly. "You didn't break into my room to try and take advantage of me while I slept did you?"

"Not even funny… Actually, I stopped by to wish you a happy birthday… And make sure you didn't sleep through it."

"My birthday… That's right…" Kasumi sat up in her bed and tried to stretch the post-sleep stiffness away. There was no denying that Kasumi was Asuka's daughter. She was a carbon copy of her mother at that age only with shorter hair down to her shoulder blades, and her eyes were a darker shade of blue. Kasumi was also much better adjusted than her mother was at fifteen, as Kasumi didn't have to suffer through the trauma her mother had when she was young. "Hmm… Something smells good."

"Your Mom is making you breakfast. You could at least show your appreciation by being awake and ready to eat when she's finished slaving over the stove for you."

"Gimme a break, I'm plenty appreciative," Kasumi yawned, then that wicked grin returned. "So, what did you get me?"

"I'm not telling. You'll just have to wait until your party tonight." Shin crossed his arms trying to look the picture of discipline, which Kasumi thought made him look like a doofus so she laughed about it, causing the boy to grimace.

"Oh come on… Please tell me! You know you can't keep a secret from me anyway," Kasumi teased, but stopped when she noticed her friend blushing faintly and looking away from her. This annoyed her to some degree. "What's wrong? What's with that look on your face?"

"Sorry it's just… You're not decent…" Shin pointed, prompting Kasumi to look down and remember what she'd worn to bed last night. A white tank-top and a pair of, I didn't know they made shorts that short, shorts. Not a real big deal in Kasumi's mind, but to straight-laced Shin, she guessed she might as well have be wearing a dominatrix outfit with her all her worst parts hanging out, or best parts depending on how you looked at it. Unable to resist the temptation, Kasumi pounced.

"Oh isn't that just sweet… The gallant Shinji Suzahara can't handle the sight of a half-naked girl sitting on a bed. Don't be so uptight about it! It's alright if you like what you see… I won't be mad. Hell, I'll take my top off and let you get a good look at 'em if you'd like."AHh

"That's alright, I can survive without seeing your chest," Shin gulped, now red as a tomato.

"Come on, just look at them already!" Kasumi pressured as she took of her top and tossed it in Shin's face. "Please, I want you too! It's my birthday, so you have to do whatever I want!"

"That's not exactly how it works! And why the heck would your birthday wish be for me to see you're…" Shin had pulled the tank-top off his face, stopped briefly, and nearly panicked when he realized he accidentally looked… And saw Kasumi was wearing a white sports bra, and was grinning wryly at him.

"Gotcha…" Kasumi purred. Shin responded with an agitated grunt, but still wouldn't look in her direction. While a bra was better than a bare-chest, it was still worse than the white tank that initially made him so uncomfortable. "You really know how to wreck a girl's self-esteem Shinji," she fake pouted. "What guy turns down a chance to see any part of a girl naked? You must think I'm just hideous to look at, and making that fact so clear on my birthday of all days."

"Oh please," Shin humphed at Kasumi's act… Then he said something completely unintended. "There's nothing hideous about you. You're gorgeous and you know that as well as I…"

Shin lost the ability to speak once he realized what he was saying. With the way Kasumi was grinning at him, you would've figured she had planned for him to slip up that way all along. "You're damn right I do… Now get out of my room so I can change! I'd offer for you to stay and watch, but your nose would probably bleed out all over the carpet… So scam!"

"I'm going, just please get some clothes on!" With that, the poor embarrassed boy fled the room.

"He's been in there an awfully long time," Misato teased Asuka as she placed the food on the table. "Should we pop our heads in and make sure he's not giving her an early birthday present?"

"Inappropriate Misato," Asuka scolded her former Guardian. "They're just teenagers. Besides, Shin is the kind of boy you can trust spending time alone with your daughter. He would never try to force himself on her."

"I know that as well as you do but… What about Kasumi?"

Asuka thought about it, and answered honestly with a slightly amused smirk. "She's the kind of girl who could convert a boy like Shin in a heartbeat if she decided she wanted to push it. That's not going to happen anytime soon though. Those two haven't even reached the point yet where they can admit that they're more than friends."

Feeling as if his ears were on fire, Shin picked that time to enter the kitchen, a light blush still on his cheeks. The three women in the room with him didn't even have to wonder about what happened. Hikari and Asuka exchanged knowing smiles.

A couple of minutes later, Kasumi emerged from her room, appropriately dressed, and about squealed at the sight of one of her favorite meals spread out on the table. She already knew what was being served, the aroma was unmistakable, but that didn't seem to damper her excitement. Small chunks of conversation broke out between the five parties as they enjoyed their meal.

"Hmm… This is really good Mom. I would've been happy with simply edible though considering…"

"Excuse me?..." Asuka's eyes narrowed. "Every meal I've ever prepared for you has been edible. I think I hold my own in the kitchen just fine, thank you very much."

"That's a matter of perspective I suppose," Kasumi continued to tease. "I would say it's more like every other meal is edible, and at least half of those don't taste like they were seasoned with ingredients pulled fresh out of the dumpster."

"If you're not careful, you're next meal will be coming out of the dumpster," her mother countered, though knowing not to take Kasumi's playful bashing of her cooking too seriously. Kasumi was her mother's daughter after all. "Good to see you're nice and feisty this morning."

"We still have quite a bit of work to do for the party," Hikari interjected, taking Kasumi's teasing a bit more seriously than the others. "Do you have anything special planned for this morning?"

Kasumi looked hesitant, but did answer, blushing faintly. "I have a little ritual I do on my birthday ever year, so I'll be taking care of that first thing."

"A ritual hey? What kind of ritual might that be?" Hikari asked, curious.

"I'm sorry, but that's private. Don't go asking Shin either. Yes he knows, since he usually goes with me, but he's sworn to secrecy." Kasumi glanced in her friend's direction. "Or else…" Shin gulped, but otherwise tried to look excessively attentive to his breakfast.

"Oh, so you're keeping secrets from us now, are we Kasumi? You're not getting my son involved in anything unseemly are you?" Kasumi smirked, and continued eating rather than placating her god-mother's prodding. "Asuka, help me out here. What is she?…" Hikari turned to her friend for support, but stopped when she recognized that Asuka looked extremely uncomfortable. She assumed it must have something to do with whatever Kasumi's plans were. She looked to Misato who just shrugged her shoulders, as she was just as in the dark as Hikari.

What remained of breakfast passed in an awkward silence that had no place at a dining table that included a young girl celebrating her fifteenth birthday. There came a point when Kasumi just couldn't stand the tension anymore and decided to pull her mother aside for a private chat. "Mom, just tell me if you're not okay with me going… If you don't want me to go, I'll stay home and visit him another time…"

"No, no, there's no reason for you to do that…" Asuka dismissed, though that's exactly what she wished her daughter would do. "As much as I'd love to keep my little girl all to myself today, you do have the right to see your father on your birthday if that's what you want…"

"Thank you Mom," Kasumi whispered, as she pulled her mother into a hug. She knew what a sore spot her father could be with mother at times.

"Just don't forget that your party starts at six, so try to be home before then okay?" Asuka reminded her daughter as they separated.

"I'll be home way before then… That's why I'm going early, so I can get back and hang out with everyone."

The Soryu women walked back into the kitchen, and to the relief of their guests, the tension between them seemed to have lifted. Kasumi's first target was her partner in crime Shin, who was still picking at his plate. "I promise you it's dead Shin… If you're not going to eat it, then let's get a move on! You're wasting precious birthday minutes!"

"Oh sure… Just let me clean off my part of the table here…" Shin sat up with his empty plate in hand, only for Misato to intercept it.

"We'll take care of the mess Shin. The birthday girl has requested your company, so let's not keep her waiting."

"Oh, okay… That you Miss Katsuragi…"

"It's Misato Shin!" She yelled back from the kitchen. "Don't make me start tossing dishes at you!"

"So what's on the itinerary?" Hikari asked Asuka from inside the kitchen, smirking slightly at Misato's teasing of her son.

"Setup mostly… All the decorations have been bought and are ready. Some of the food still has to be cooked, but that'll have to wait until closer to the party… Oh, I do have to go into town and pick up the cake at 9:30."

"That's a rather specific time…"

"Yeah well, the bakery is normally closed on Sunday. It cost extra, but I got someone to come in briefly this morning so the cake would be as fresh as possible. The catch was that they wanted me to pick it up no later than ten o'clock. We eventually agreed on 9:30… What time is it anyway?... Oh crap, its five to nine! With traffic, it can take almost half an hour to get to the bakery… Shit, how did I let time slip away like that?!"

"Relax," Misato said, rubbing the back of the slightly shorter woman right between the shoulder blades. "Go get the cake, and we'll handle the clean up here."

"But… Are you sure? I still…"

"Go!" Hikari prodded pushing Asuka towards the door. "You don't want your daughter to end up without a cake on her birthday. Don't fight us, you're just wasting time!"

"I… Okay…" Asuka smiled, a bit overwhelmed. Though she had never liked relying on people, over the years she had really become awed at how Hikari and Misato were always there for her. "Thanks guys. I'll be back soon, I promise!"

* * *

Speed limits were merely suggestive when you had somewhere to be, or at least Asuka Soryu treated them as such. It didn't help Tokyo 3 motorists or pedestrians at all, that Asuka had been taught to drive by one Misato Katsuragi, who treated a typically peaceful drive out in the country like a demolition derby. That poor barn didn't stand a chance. It's not important how Asuka arrived at the bakery anyhow, but rather that she made it on time. She bid the two-person bakery skeleton crew farewell and offered a heart-felt thank you as she exited the establishment. Cake in hand, Asuka was unaware that someone had noticed her dashing into the bakery, and she wouldn't become aware of it until said person followed her to Asuka's car. He waited patiently until Asuka had safely placed her baked goods inside her vehicle before he made his presence known.

"Asuka? I thought that was you…"

The red-head jumped at the voice and turned to face it. She wasn't sure why she was so shocked to see his face as she knew the voice that matched it rather well. "Otto… What are you doing here?"

Otto had a feeling Asuka really meant to ask why he was there, but he went with it. "Just out running some errands when I thought I spotted you darting into the bakery here… Which I thought was weird because it's usually closed on Sundays." The tall blonde-haired man laughed nervously. "Kasumi's birthday was coming up soon wasn't it?"

"Yes… It's today actually," Asuka replied, trying to walk a line where she didn't sound too nervous or overly rude. "I was just picking up her cake."

"Ah, that's right… I remember now… I couldn't quite remember the exact date… You know, it's not like I was invited to the party or anything," he laughed, and immediately regretted his choice of words. He was sincerely just trying to make a joke, but worried he had sounded too snide. Luckily, Asuka didn't seem to take his comment negatively.

"Yeah, sorry about that… I only invited family and Kasumi's friends you know…"

"Oh, you don't have to explain it to me, I understand completely," Otto said seizing on the potential opening to save himself. "What I don't understand though, is why I haven't heard a single word out of you in almost two weeks… I mean, I'm sorry to ambush you like this, but since you're not answering my calls or texts, I was running out of communication options."

"Yeah, I'm sorry about that," Asuka tried to pass it off, though her expression couldn't have made it more obvious that she didn't want to be having this conversation. "This last week at work has been hectic and all, I just haven't had a lot of time…"

"Are you sure that's it?" Trying to sound as polite as he could, Otto offered up an alternative explanation. "It's not because I kissed you at the end our last date, and then you kind of freaked out and ran off…"

Asuka tensed up. She really, desperately did not want to have this conversation at that moment, and preferably not ever. Her eyes darted in every direction as if searching for any possible route of escape. "I apologize for avoiding you. I shouldn't have done that… I promise we'll talk about this later, but I really don't have the time right now… There's so much I still have to get done for Kasumi's party, and forgive me if this sounds rude, but all that stuff that happened with us the other day is the farthest thing from mind right now…"

"I understand," Otto said with a sad smile. "I'm not trying to push you, and if you're too busy to talk I understand. Still, I would appreciate just a couple minutes of your time if you can spare it… Just so I don't have to wonder what's going on with me and you… I deserve that much don't I?"

He did deserve it, and the guilt brought on by how she'd been treating him lately had never felt worse than it felt at that moment. Asuka wasn't accustomed to feeling guilty about things, and she wasn't fond of the feeling. Most of the men Asuka had gotten involved with over the years she had little trouble brushing off when things got too heated for her… Well, saying she was involved with those men may have been overstating it. Most of them never made it passed the first date, pending they could hold her interest for that long. Asuka had no trouble ditching a dud date before the entrée even arrived. Many of these were blind dates she had little interest in going on in the first place, or men she quickly lost interest in shortly after meeting them. There were a handful of guys that Asuka was interested in enough that they survived past the feeling out stage. Otto was one of those men, and one of the few she actually found herself developing some form of feelings for… Which in itself, stirred up a whole other mess of problems.

Otto was, by all accounts, a genuinely nice guy. He was intelligent, patient, and understanding of Asuka's unique circumstances. He was also a fellow German who had moved to Japan as a teenager. They had actually met in a coffee shop one morning when Asuka just happened to be cursing out the poor barista in her native tongue, but on that morning there was someone else in the shop who understood every word she said. That common thread guided Otto to introduce himself, which led to lunch later that day, and a few phone calls later, they were dating before Asuka even realized what had happened. To Otto's credit, he also wasn't scared away when Asuka warned him about all her baggage… So much freaking baggage.

"You're right… And I can spare a few minutes, so why don't we go sit down and talk?"

The couple walked over to a nearby bench and sat down. Otto couldn't help but notice that Asuka sat at the very edge of the bench, seated as far away from him as she could manage. He was getting the feeling that this conversation would be going in the direction he'd been dreading. True to his nature, Otto didn't pry or rush her. He waited patiently, smiling at her until she was ready to say per piece. "I really am sorry for avoiding you… I warned you when we started dating though that I stink at forming relationships with people… Especially romantic relationships. When you kissed me… Yes I did freak out. Not because I fault you for kissing me at all, lord knows you've shown the patience of a saint with me… I just wasn't ready for it… And even though I hoped things might be different with you, I'm starting to accept that I may never be ready for it…"

"Asuka…" Otto started sympathetically, resisting the temptation to place a hand on her shoulder. "Someone really hurt you didn't they?"

"Almost everyone I've ever cared about has hurt me Otto… In ways that pierce the mind, body, and soul…I was really messed up for a long time… That's why I have so much trouble opening up to, or getting close to people. I convinced myself that it was better to shut everyone else out and only rely on myself, because that way no one could hurt me."

"I see," Otto mulled over the meaning of Asuka's words. "And you feel because of these past traumas, this makes you incapable of feeling love for another person?"

"No, that's not what I mean at all," Asuka said calmly, shaking her head. "It's the opposite really… Can I ask you a stupid question Otto?"

Otto Smiled. "I can't imagine Asuka Langley Soryu asking a stupid question, but it might be fun to hear you try."

Asuka smiled back, but still found it difficult to face him. Standing up, she walked over to the railing in front of the cement walk where they'd been seated, and propped her elbow up against it. "Do you think it's possible to fall in love so deep and so hard, that you just find it impossible to dig yourself out of that hole again?"

"Aye, I do… So you have been in love before Asuka?"

Asuka nodded her head, a sad smile on her lips. "With a stubborn idiot who put up with all the crap I gave him. I tried to push him away so many times, but somehow, in me he was able to find a kindred spirit to himself. We fought so long and so hard to find our way to each other, when we finally did, it felt like my life had started over again. I could finally look towards the future and see something other than fire and brimstone surrounding charred corpses of our fallen society. He saved me from being the person I never realize I didn't want to be until then… That said though, we were together for such a brief time, and then he was gone… Just like that, my life collapsed back into hell… I know he didn't mean it this way, but in a way, it felt like he had abandoned me just like everyone else I'd dared to love before had…"

"I take it back… It's not that you were in love once… You still are aren't you?"

"Yeah, I guess I am…" Asuka turned towards Otto. "Even though I've tried to move on with my life… With someone else I mean, heaven knows Shinji would've been the first person urging me to move on without him… That's just one of the many reasons why it's so damn hard to do that… Anytime I've dared to even try to let myself get close to someone else, if I can get passed the fear of being hurt, I always end up feeling guilty, like I'm betraying him somehow…"

"Asuka… That was ages ago," Otto rationalized, having a hard time believing his ears. "You were still basically children at the time, so how could you still feel as if you're betraying his memory after all this time?"

"If I knew that, we wouldn't be having this conversation, and we'd probably be more like a normal couple," Asuka laughed despite finding no humor in what she had said. "My friends tell me I'm using him as an excuse not to get close to anyone, and maybe I am to an extent… That doesn't change that fact that on those rare occasions, like now, when I try to let myself get close to someone else, my chest gets tight and every fiber of my being screams out at me like I'm doing something wrong… He… He touched me, my heart, my soul like no one ever had before. Being the stupid kid I was, I never did realize that, let alone did I ever take any time to appreciate what he awoke inside of me until he was gone. Maybe it's selfish of me, maybe I'm expecting too much but… Something in my heart just keeps insisting that if I can't find someone, something that makes me feel like that again… Then it's just worth it. It's not a trait I'm particularly proud of, but I've never been one to settle for anything other than what I want… I suppose my heart is the same way… Until I can allow myself to be kissed by a handsome, kind man who cares about me without feeling like I'm doing something wrong… Until I can do that, I just have to accept that I'm just not ready for that kind of relationship."

Otto muttered something in German that caused Asuka to blush, though not in a bad way. "I have to admit that I'm envious of this Shinji Ikari… Even if for a short time, he managed to grab hold of something I would've very much loved to have held for myself one day. Then again, it's hard to win somebody's heart when they've already given it away."

"Otto…"

Smiling, to maintain an image of dignity above anything else, he put a finger up to her lips to cut her off. "It's okay Asuka. I'm not going to make you say it… I'm not the type of guy who needs to hear those words to make myself feel validated. I had a feeling the moment we sat down you'd likely be breaking up with me before this conversation was over."

"Otto… I'm sorry…"

"Please don't be… Don't be sad on your daughter's birthday. I'm a big boy, and I've been dumped before. I will admit though, you were the prettiest and most intriguing to do so." Otto stood, Asuka looking up at him, her eyes desperately hoping Otto was really handling the rejection as well as he appeared to be. "You have my number, so if you ever decide you've reached that point where you feel you can move on without the guilt… Maybe we can try this again someday."

"Careful," Asuka smiled, though subdued. "I might take you up on that one day."

Asuka stayed parked on that bench for several minutes, even after Otto had left. She was beginning to wonder if Misato and Hikari were right. Maybe she did use Shinji like a crutch to keep others away… Just like she'd used her mother before him…. Oh well, Asuka didn't waste too much time worrying about those types of things… She had a party to set up for, to celebrate the birth of the one person who had helped her make sense of this mess she called a life. She'd trade a hundred chances with a hundred guys like Otto for just one of her daughter's smiles.

* * *

Six miles outside of Tokyo 3 stood a giant block of glass-like matter, encasing a moment in time that had become a local legend. Locked inside were the figures of two giant cyborgs, a still image of a battle waged that would decide the fate of the city of Tokyo 3. Of particular interest was the purple machine, and the memory of its young pilot who sacrificed himself to protect so many. At the base of that block of balkelite stood a six foot high stone that served as both a tombstone and memorial for that pilot, one Shinji Ikari. The location had become a tourist spot for some and a place of pilgrimage for others… However, for one youthful looking man with red-eyes and a crooked grin, this was simply a place where a dear old friend was resting... A place he'd longed to return to for what felt like ages.

Tabris could not hide his smile, nor did he have any reason to bother as he pressed his hand against the giant mountain of ice. "Be patient for just a little longer old friend… You're long sleep is just about at its end."

"You really think this is possible?" chimed in the voice of his companion. Aeri was mere feet behind Tabris, looking indifferent despite her questioning of her brother's actions. She gave off an impression not dissimilar to a teenage girl who'd been unwillingly dragged along to some function by her parents. In a way, that's kind of exactly what was happening.

"I believe the possibility is there, yes… At the very least, it's worth a try. Now stop complaining. I brought you along so you could possibly make up for some of your past transgressions, not so you can nag my every action."

"You make it sound like you gave me the option whether I wanted to tag along with you or not…" Aeri sighed as she tapped her foot in annoyance. She wasn't as unwilling to be at Shinji's memorial as she was letting on. Just as human's could, Angels were just as capable of maturing, or growing up if you will. Aeri had done a lot of maturing in the years after she failed in her quest to destroy Shinji Ikari inside and out. Over the years, she'd really grown to regret what she had done, especially knowing what he sacrificed to spare his fellow Lilin. She had no idea that the Lilin were capable of such noble acts. She still didn't care for the human race, though she no longer despised them or wished upon them a slow painful death underneath her foot. She even chose to use her old human form for her astral body for this brief excursion to Earth. She could now see some of what Tabris saw in the human race, especially in Shinji Ikari. If her brother's cockamamie plan actually worked, perhaps she could finally feel some sense of redemption for the injustices she tried to inflict on him so many years ago. "How can you be so sure though?… That this thing is dead, but somehow Shinji isn't?"

"It's simple really sister… The old Lilin at SEELE designed their Eva's primarily from my DNA… Including their S2 organs… What the silly old coots failed to realize was that they only received what I wanted them to have… As if we would've allowed the capability of a perfect S2 engine to fall into their hands… The S2 organs they manufactures for the Eva Series, and in this beast here were flawed, doomed to burn out after so many years… The S2 engine of this particular Eva has burnt out, meaning that even while trapped within the balkelite, the Eva no longer has the capability to sustain its life. This abomination known as Zeus is no longer a threat the Lilin."

"Wouldn't the same be true of Shinji's Eva though?" Aeri asked of her brother.

"No dear sister… Shinji's Unit 01 acquired its S2 engine when it ingested the organ of one of our brethren's earthbound form. Unit 01 has a true S2 engine, meaning she can sustain herself indefinitely."

"The same is not true of Shinji though," Aeri pointed out. "Wasn't there a high probability he'd be absorbed into his Eva?"

"Indeed… In fact, I'm counting on it. Otherwise, he'd be dead, and our presence here would be moot… I have a feeling though, that he's still in there somewhere waiting for someone to get him out."

"If he is, how do you intend to extract him from his Eva? Is that even within the realm of your power?"

His grin broadened. "We're certainly going to find out."

Aeri grunted, less than enthusiastic over her brother's seemingly blind logic. "Have you thought this out at all? Have you even considered that releasing him back into this world may not be what's best for him? He's spent years trapped in that mountain of glass while the ones he loves have built lives of their own that haven't involved him. Even the girl he so cherished has a daughter… It's not as if he can just stroll back into his old life as if time hasn't jumped ahead of him. He could very easily wind up with nothing, and feel no better off than when he was trapped inside his Eva… He may be better off where he is now…"

"Oh dear sister… All this time, and you still don't understand humans at all do you?" the frown that attacked Aeri's face only made her brother grin harder. "There's no need for concern. I've done some research, and I'm confident Mr. Ikari will be received rather well… Regardless, he's twice now sacrificed a great deal to give his fellow Lilin a chance to persevere… If anyone deserves to enjoy the fruits of that labor it is he… I believe you've said so yourself, in not so many words…"

Aeri pretended not to understand what Tabris was insinuating, and ignored the urge to bicker with him over it. That would be playing into his little game, even though the insinuation was somewhat true. Shinji Ikari was the only Lilin Aeri had met that gave her even a slight glimmer of hope for the human race. Be damned if she was going to let it show though. "Why now Tabris? Why allow him to languish, imprisoned in this mountain of ice for all these years, only to release him now?"

"To respect his sacrifice of course… He gave himself up to make sure SEELE's attack dog couldn't destroy the city… If I tried to release Shinji too early, Zeus may have escaped as well, and then where would everyone be? That would be a determent to everything Shinji worked so hard for, and I just couldn't chance it after weighing the risk. Now that Zeus is no longer a threat, there's no reason to leave him stuck in there… Assuming I am capable of getting him out that is."

"Aren't you still gambling by assuming Zeus is no longer functional?" Aeri asked, trying to poke every whole into Kaworu's scenario as she possibly could. Any lesser being probably would've gotten annoyed by now. Tabris responded by grabbing Aeri's hand and placing it against the balkelite.

"Use your power of perception… Do you sense any life within this frosty prison? Let alone a life force not all that dissimilar to our own?"

With a scowl, Aeri complied and concentrated. "It's faint, but I do since one life-force." Aeri's eyes snapped open, though she said nothing, refusing to give her brother the satisfaction of knowing he was right. "I still don't believe your plan is going to work…"

"Ye of little faith… Hmm, I believe that might be an example of what the Lilin call irony… Anyway, wish me luck"

"Luck doesn't exist. It's a ridiculous concept that the Lilin…" Aeri stopped, as Tabris' image vanished behind the mountain of balkelite. Crossing her arms in annoyance, she looked down and noticed several Lilin that were visiting the memorial dedicated to Shinji Ikari. She had no fear of being seen by then, as the Lilin were incapable of seeing Angels in their spiritual form. Her earthbound body had been destroyed long ago by the same sibling that had dragged her along on his quest to free Shinji from his self-made prison. It amazed her how the Lilin, in some cases, still honored their dead sometimes long after they had passed. She would've figured that the Lilin would simply forget about one another once their AT fields rotted away, and they slowly turned into bone as dust. Aeri flinched, and shook these thoughts from her head. She'd be damned if she was going to allow Tabris to trick her into developing an unhealthy interest in these lowly creatures.

* * *

Tabris found it surprisingly easy to navigate his way through the balkelite, so it wasn't long before he found himself entering the frozen husk of Unit 01. Forcing his way into the Unit's core proved more difficult. The rules for the inner workings of an Evangelion were like nothing Tabris had ever experienced. It felt as if he was searching for a being living inside a world that resided in another being. The Angel could detect three distinct life forms within the giant mech. The strongest presence, the one that surrounded him almost to the point of suffocation was obviously Unit 01 itself. The second presence was difficult to pinpoint… It seemed disjointed, appearing in one place, quickly disappearing, and then he'd sense it in another place. Kaworu's guess was that this was the soul of Shinji's mother Yue trapped within Unit 01. Sadly, her absorption into the Purple Beast seemed complete, so pulling her out along with Shinji would seem to be far beyond the realm of his capabilities. The third presence was one Kaworu knew well, and thankfully he appeared fully intact… As an entity inside the Eva as opposed to an entity that had become part of the Eva as was the case with Shinji's mother. He followed that presence into the deepest recesses of Unit 01's core, pushing deeper and deeper until he found himself in a place he hadn't expected.

The eyes of Kaworu widened as he found himself now standing in the middle of a lush green field, as opposed to the black void of nothingness he had seemed to wander aimlessly through for hours. A light mist covered the field that was dotted by grass and various types of flowers. The illusion was so convincing that Kaworu could feel the cool breeze brush against his cheek, and feel the moisture on the grass if he bent down to touch it. Off in the distance, he could see the image of a young man seated in the middle of that field, his eyes closed and arms out as if he was meditating. Smiling, Kaworu began to walk towards the young man he hadn't seen or spoken to for quite some time. Shinji didn't seem to notice Kaworu even as he was standing over him.

"You're a difficult person to locate Shinji Ikari… Though I admit my experience navigating the interworkings of an Evangelion is limited."

Shinji's eyes snapped open, and as they did, the field he'd been meditating in vanished, leaving Kaworu and himself standing in that familiar black void. Kaworu was surprised by this, but not as surprised as Shinji was to see the Angel standing there. "Kaworu… But I wasn't thinking about you…"

Shinji stood up to examine the spectral Angel, Kaworu smiling in response. "It's… It's really you isn't it Kaworu?"

"Yes it is Shinji… It's good to see you."

"It's good to see you too," Shinji laughed lightly, still stunned by his old friend's presence. "How though? How are you able to be here?!"

"I'm not sure myself… I wasn't even aware if I had the capability, though seeing I've been successful, I'm glad I saw it through and tried… Now speaking of the unexpected, what happened to the field we were just standing it? I had no idea a place like that could even exist within the core of an Evangelion."

"It can't. One of the things I figured out I can do inside here is that, if I concentrate hard enough, I can make things appear around me." Shinji held out his hand, and a miniature version of the Moon appeared above his palm. "The images I create are remarkably life-like, but unfortunately I can't really interact with them without breaking my concentration. It's not much, but it helps keep me from losing my mind in here."

"That's quite an impressive talent… Just so you know, I was able to interact with your images on some level. I could feel the dew from the grass roll off my hand after I touched it."

"That's amazing… I'm getting off subject thought aren't I? Why are you here Kaworu? Surely you didn't break into my Evangelion just to say hello."

"I'm not quite sure how to feel about that Shinji… I might be hurt," Kaworu mock pouted, the grin never leaving his face. "For all you know, I could very well have had no ulterior motives other than to visit an old friend… Other than possibly hoping I might be able to bring you back with me."

Shinji had no clue how to respond to that. The very idea of ever leaving Unit 01 was so foreign and he'd deemed it so utterly impossible, that Kaworu's words just weren't registering. "Is that even possible?" Shinji asked, with perhaps more skepticism then he intended. He wasn't entirely convinced this Kaworu was even real, and not just another manifestation his mind had cooked up. Reality really had zero basis in the core.

"In all honesty, I really don't know… But I intend to try, if you're willing to leave this place behind you Shinji."

Shinji chuckled at this. "If it's possible, of course I would love not to be trapped inside an Evangelion for the rest of my life… Or is it existence? I'm not entirely sure how to classify myself anymore."

"You've developed a sense of humor," Kaworu observed. "That's fortunate considering your situation."

"Well again, it was either learn to laugh at my problems, or wait for my mind to explode. All joking aside though, to answer your question, yes if you think there's even the slightest chance you could get me out of here…" Shinji paused as he thought of something that made him rethink his eagerness. "Wait… Even if you could get me out of Unit 01, wouldn't I still be trapped in balkelite?"

"No worries, the balkelite will be taken care… Believe me, that will be the easy bit of all this."

"What about that Black Eva though? Won't you risk freeing that monster if you try to free me from the balkelite?"

Kaworu smiled at his friend. His mind was definitely sharper than the last time he'd spoken to him. "You've matured, or at least your mind has… That's good, it will help you adjust assuming I'm successful in extracting you. No, Zeus will no longer present a threat to anyone. Its inferior S2 engine has died, so the Evangelion no longer has an infinite power source. That's the reason I haven't tried to contact you until now… I wanted to respect the sacrifice you made by not risking undoing it by releasing Zeus."

"Oh thank goodness," Shinji sighed, but then he got quiet. It started to sink in that this image of Kaworu might not just be his mind playing tricks on him. "It really is you, isn't it Kaworu?"

"The one and only," Kaworu's expression suddenly grew serious. "I do have to warn you… You've been trapped in this Evangelion for quite some time… The people you love have gotten on with their lives, and there's no guarantee that you can simply reappear and assume you'll be able to fall back into place like you never left."

Shinji thought Kaworu's words over, a sad smile eventual sneaking onto his lips. "Yeah, I had always expected that on some level whenever I fantasized about escaping Unit 01 someday… I'm prepared for it if that happens."

"I see." Kaworu feared his friend might not be as prepared as he thought he was. "One more thing Shinji… I can tell just by speaking with you that your mind has matured while you've been trapped in here. At least mentally you'll show your age… However, I can not say the same for your physical form… There's no way to predict how your body would've aged while trapped inside the EVA if at all. It's likely that you may look exactly the same as you did on the day you were absorbed."

"In the grand scheme of things, I guess that doesn't really matter… As long as it hasn't been 60 years or something, and I'm spit out an old man needing a walker… How long have I been stuck in here?"

"You'll have to discover the answer to that question if and when I get you out," was Kaworu's answer, basically avoiding the question. This didn't really surprise Shinji somehow, so he passed on insisting on an answer from him.

"Okay… I guess I'm ready to do this whenever you are Kaworu… What exactly do you need me do?"

Wearing a brilliant smile, Kaworu held out his hand. Shinji accepted it, and soon after descended into hell.

End of Chapter 20


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

"Ugh…" groaned one Shinji Ikari as he slowly stirred back into consciousness. He spat in disgust as a vile taste overwhelmed his taste-buds. Both the texture and smell kind of reminded him of grass… Hold on a second… That was grass! Shinji's eyes snapped open, and now fully focused he found himself lying in a soft patch of grass that he immediately began pawing at, as well as the coarse dirt beneath it. The soil felt real enough… So did that bright hot light beating down on his back, a light he quickly identified as the sun, shining down on him for the first time in years. His eyes were soon drawn to the mountain of balkelite located directly behind him. Near the top of that mountain, Unit 01's head could clearly be seen sticking out from the pseudo-ice, the entry plug protruding from its neck. It took a few seconds for the sight to register with Shinji, and recall what had happened. What Kaworu had done for him.

"He did it… I don't believe it… I'm out… I'm free! I'm free!" Shinji laughed like he hadn't in years, a hearty laugh that would grow and grow to a point of borderline hysteria. Shinji searched the area for any sign of his friend, but sadly could not find any. "Kaworu… You're not supposed to be here are you? I guess I won't get to say this to you face-to-face, but if you can hear me… Thank you Kaworu… Thank you for everything."

Shinji enjoyed another chuckle before he noticed his reflection looking back at him in the balkelite. Shinji put his hand up to the glass like material as if unconvinced the person he was seeing was really Shinji Ikari. He certainly looked like Shinji… Though perhaps a slight bit older, maybe early 20's Shinji guessed. Odder still, Shinji had a fairly aggressive five o'clock shadow going, which he found strange seeing as he'd never had to shave before even once in his life. That's how much facial hair he'd seen on that face before today. The notion seemed impossible and weird… But then again, he worked for NERV, and therefore ate weird and impossible for breakfast every morning, so why waste time wondering about how and why?

Shinji examined the giant ice sculpture that had served as his prison for years, mainly studying Zeus while trying to convince himself that the Eva was indeed inactive and was no longer a threat to the people he loved. Once satisfied, he explored the area further, and quickly located a rock pillar that was roughly the same height as he was. He could see an inscription on the plaque, from which he could only read two words… His name, 'Shinji Ikari', the letters of which were larger than the rest of the inscription. Nervously, he walked towards the pillar to get a better look at what was etched into that plaque. It read;

Shinji Ikari

6-6-2001 to 5-13-2018

" _On the 13_ _th_ _of May 2018, Shinji Ikari gave his life to protect the Citizens of Tokyo 3 from a hostile force with the capability to destroy the city. Let this memorial and his visage, be a constant reminder of his courage and sacrifice."_

Shinji felt slightly put off by the memorandum. He felt it gave him too much credit. It's not like he confronted Zeus while thinking how the lives of everyone in the city were on the line. The citizens of Tokyo 3 were simply the benefactors of Shinji's dogged determination to protect the ones he loved. That, and Shinji just wouldn't be Shinji if he didn't find a way to deprecate himself even where no deprecation was warranted.

Admiring what he assumed served as his tombstone, he then noticed several bouquets of flowers surrounding the base of the memorial in various states of bloom. Directly behind a dozen white lilies, was a strong-box with Shinji's name etched onto the top of it. 3x3 it was hard to miss, and it took both hands to lift it up off the ground. Taking a seat at a nearby bench that faced the Balkelite Mountain, he debated whether or not to open the box. It had his name on it, so he had some difficultly coming up with a reason why he shouldn't open it. Several minutes of debate later, he finally decided to have at it. Finding the box unlocked, he lifted the top… And found a folded note atop of a pair of equally folded clothes, those of which were not unlike his choice of attire back before Zeus had come to town. He opened up the letter, and found it was written by Misato.

" _This is likely just wishful thinking on our part, but we know you survived being absorbed into your Eva once before… Assuming you were absorbed this time that is. If it just so happens, that one day you give that Eva of yours indigestion and he spits you back out, here are some clothes we hope might fit you if you're in need of them… Also enclosed in this lock-box are some images of the things you missed while you were gone…Lives none of us likely would've had if not for you. I know it's unlikely you'll ever read this Shinji, but just in case you do… Ah, to hell with it! I love you Shinji, and we miss you… Thank you for everything."_

 _-Misato_

A single teardrop stained Misato's name before Shinji was able to compose himself. A slight smile adorned his face as his mind flooded with memories of his old Guardian. Curious about the images Misato had mentioned in the letter, he set the clothing aside and found a stack of photographs, a few from every year since he'd been gone. A wide array of emotions took turns slapping him across the face and he went through the pictures, watching his friends and family age before his eyes. Several of these photos stood out prominently in his mind.

The first was a picture of Toji and Hikari's wedding… The couple didn't look much older than when he'd last seen them, so Shinji guessed they must've gotten married shortly after high school. There was another picture of the newlyweds, or possibly not-so-newlyweds posing with their new baby boy. There was a picture of Kensuke, of course holding camera, standing in front of the Eiffel Tower. He reminded Shinji of a beatnik with his shaggy hair, pencil thin mustache, and a tiny patch of beard on the cleft of his chin. One picture that particularly touched his heart was of Toji's sister Sakura, who appeared to be sixteen or seventeen in the photo. She held up a sign on poster board that read 'New surgery went great. Been walking for six months without a limp'.

There were other pictures of friends and acquaintances on various holidays and special occasions. Misato, God love her, proving she hadn't changed a bit, had included at least half a dozen pictures of her in various stages of undress. She wasn't naked or anything, just selectively missing an article of clothing here or there, and leaving very little to the imagination. He chuckled at a photo of Kaji on the beach sipping a drink with the caption 'Retired and loving it!'. He was not surprised at all to find there were only a couple pictures of Rei included. He didn't take his sister for a girl that would be taking too many pictures of herself, or that she would even think she was doing anything remotely important enough that Shinji might want to know about it. There was one of her graduating from College, which made Shinji beam with pride. The other picture of her made him do a double take. It was a regular picture of her that looked more recent than many of the others. Rei had longer hair, down to her shoulder blades, and she was smiling… Not one of those fake wry smiles either, but a legitimate smile like you'd see on any happy young women. The sight of that made Shinji every bit as proud as the notion that she'd graduated College.

There was one last picture at the very bottom of the box, and it took Shinji's breath away. It was a picture of a ragged Asuka lying on a hospital bed wearing a crooked smile, and holding an infant in her arms. The baby had a tuft of red-hair on her head. He was guessing it was a baby girl judging from the pink blanket and the pink ribbon in her hair. The picture both broke Shinji's heart and made him smile at the same time. It was hard seeing the person he loved holding someone else's child, but at the same time, he was happy to see she'd moved on with her life and had seemed to have found some happiness in it. In Shinji's mind, she deserved that happiness more than anyone. What stung more than the picture itself, was when he realized it was Asuka's only offering to the box. For all he knew, it could've been somebody else who put the picture in there. He couldn't blame Asuka though. She likely wanted to get on with her life, and not be dragged down by the memory of a brief fling she'd likely long since gotten over. That's what he wanted for her after all, though it still felt like a heavy series of punches to the gut.

Shinji placed the pictures back in the box, and decided to put that box back where he'd found it. He did take the clothes however, and found a secluded spot to try them on. Luckily, they fit perfectly. He replaced the fresh set of clothing with the plug suit he'd been wearing, not really considering the firestorm it would cause if someone he knew checked on that box and found the suit. He sat back down on a different bench, and spent the next half hour planning his next move. He really didn't know what to do… He couldn't really go back home. Everyone he knew had moved on with their lives, and he didn't want to swoop in and become an Eva sized disruption for everyone. He really wasn't even sure yet how long he'd been gone. Perhaps it would better for everyone if he left Tokyo 3 and started a new life somewhere else, allowing his loved ones to continue on with their lives thinking he was still gone. That way, no one's life was upended because, here comes old Shinji and he has nowhere else to go. Little did Shinji know that fate was conspiring against his newly budding plans to flee.

* * *

Shin Suzahara didn't understand women. He inherited that trait from his father. He felt he understood Kasumi, though not so much as a woman but as his friend. Shin was slightly north of a year younger then Kasumi, but neither really noticed the age difference. They'd grown up together, so they'd always been around each other. In one anothers company is where they felt the most comfortable, what felt natural, though neither one really noticed that either. It was one of those unspoken things. Sometimes though, a firm grasp on his best friend's idiosyncrasies was elusive. For example, he had no idea why the hell she was so irritated with him at the moment, or why he was having to schlep around this bouquet of flowers she'd recently purchased.

"Why are you mad? How am I supposed to apologize when I don't even know what I did wrong?!"

"I'm not mad!" Kasumi snorted, her nose in the air. "But if I was, the fact that you'd have to ask why I'm angry would just infuriate me more!"

Shin sighed as he rushed to keep pace with his irritated friend. "Is this one of those test things that girls like to give guys? Did I screw up without realizing it?"

"Did you ever," Kasumi grunted under her breath. "All I can say is that your gift better be pretty freaking awesome unless you want to explain to my mother how you ruined my birthday!"

"My gift?" For the first time, Shin began to worry that his gift for her might not be good enough. "My gift happens to be very thoughtful… And how exactly have I ruined your birthday?"

"You haven't ruined it yet, I was merely punctuating my point doofus!" Kasumi sped forward, as she thought to herself bitterly. _"There's only one thing I want from you, and it's obvious I'm not getting that anytime soon…"_

"Kasumi?" her friend called to her, sensing she had drifted off.

"I'm fine, now get your butt moving Shinji! I'd love to actually get back home in time to attend my own birthday party!"

"Why do I have to carry your flowers?" Shin finally drummed up the nerve to ask. "Doesn't this kind of fly in the face of your entire independent woman, I don't need help from anyone persona?"

"Not at all… Myself being self-sufficient and fully capable of doing anything you can do, and better, doesn't excuse you of your obligation to be a gentleman when you're in my presence."

"Uh huh… Sound more like a case study in hypocrisy to me…"

Kasumi halted her progress so she could look back and glare at the boy, effectively freezing him in his own tracks. "Would you like to walk home by yourself? Then have to explain to my mom why you left me all alone out here in the middle of nowhere?"

"Why is it that you think I'm so afraid of your mother?" he asked, despite the fact that he totally was.

"Says the boy who used to bring an extra set of pants along whenever we were up to something you were afraid she might not approve of," Kasumi teased, causing Shin to blush. Sadly, she wasn't kidding. Shin had nothing but respect for the mother of his best friend, and Asuka had always treated him well, but still… He'd rather go swimming in a pit full of poisonous snakes than have to face Asuka Soryu when she was angry. She was damn scary when she was angry.

"Whatever, let's just go…"

"It you'd stop hindering me with all your nonsense, we would've been there by now! Another minute or two and we should… Ooop!" Not watching where she had been going, Kasumi rammed into something, or someone rather, solid enough that the contact knocked her down on her butt.

"Oh, I'm sorry Miss! I didn't see you coming," a young man apologized even though the accident wasn't at all his fault. The girl just sort of appeared out of a row of bushes while not looking where she was going.

Kasumi took the exact opposite route, taking no responsibility for her role in the collision. It was a Soryu family trait if there ever was one. "Sorry is not going to cut it! Why don't you watch where the hell you're going next time?!"

Kasumi picked herself up, ready to give this jerk a piece of her mind when her eyes locked on his face as his eyes locked on her face. Their jaws nearly hit the ground in unison.

"Kasumi, are you alright?!" Shin asked as he ran up to her, having finally caught up. He saw the young man she'd been barking at, and he too nearly fell over from the force of his jaw speeding towards the ground. He and Kasumi finally recovered enough to look at each other to wordlessly ask if the other was seeing what they thought they were seeing. Shin looked over at the young man, raising a finger in the air. "Give us just one minute please…" Shin grabbed Kasumi by the arm and dragged her back towards the bushes so they could speak among themselves at a comfortable distant from the young man who watched them in absolute awe.

"That doesn't even make sense… It can't be him!" Shin insisted.

"He's wearing the clothes Misato left him! Not to mention that he looks just like him! A little older maybe, but that face… I know it sounds impossible but there has to be… Wait a minute!" Kasumi's eyes darted upward towards the world's most famous mound of fake ice. Even though the landmark was still a good half mile in the distance, a pair of good eyes could still make out the head of Unit 01 poking fee just above the top of the mound. "Shinji… Look at this…"

Shin looked where she directed, and he too could see the head of Unit 01 above the balkelite. The longtime friends looked at each other again, both thinking the same thing. "It might actually be him… But how do we know for sure?"

"Duh, we ask him," Kasumi answered as if this was the most obvious thing in the world. Normally it would be if not for the fact that she was going to be asking this person if he was someone that had been declared deceased years ago.

Shinji watched the two teens as they chattered on excitedly about something, but Shinji was still struggling to breathe after what he'd just seen. That girl looked exactly like Asuka at fifteen, only with shorter hair and her eyes were a darker shade of blue. It was those very eyes that kept him from calling the girl by Asuka's name just a few moments before. That and he was pretty sure that boy she was with called her Kasumi…. Was she a relative of Asuka's, or maybe even that infant in that picture? It was about this time that Shinji recognized that the kids were staring off in the distance at the Balkelite Mountain, and when he looked himself, to his discomfort noticed that the head of Unit 01 was clearly visible from this vantage point. Shinji feared he might've already been found out. All of the sudden, the red-headed girl bounded over to him, smiling in anticipation like someone who knew they were about to win some sort of major prize. "I'm sorry, but I have to ask you… Man, this sounds crazy but… You're Shinji Ikari aren't you?!"

Shinji nearly fell backward at the accusation, only managing to babble out something nonsensical in response. The sight of him clearly flustered, seemed to excite the girl that much more. "I knew it! I can't believe this! It's such an honor to meet you sir! I grew up immersed in all the stories from your days piloting Eva and fighting angels!"

"Have you now?" He asked, still taken aback.

"Of course, you're like a legend in this city! There's an entire section in our history books at school dedicated to you!"

"That… Would seem a little in excess of what should be necessary…"

"It's all true Sir," said the red-head's nervous looking companion, staring at the ground as he spoke. "We both kind of grew up idolizing you and… Oh geesh, I sound like an idiot don't I?..."

"Only when you point it out like that you doofus! Why don't you pick your head up and face your eyes forward already! You're not going to turn to stone if you make eye contact!"

Shinji watched the two star-struck teens as they bickered playfully. He had no doubts now that this girl had to be Asuka's… Even her personality was similar. The boy reminded him of someone too, but Shinji didn't want to jump to conclusions just yet. "Um, I hate to interrupt your discussion but… You two seem to understand a little bit about Eva, and my situation…So you guys aren't weirded out at all that I'm standing here, and no longer stuck inside my Evangelion? It surprises me that you two were so quick to accept that I'm Shinji Ikari and not some weird guy that just looks like him wandering around his grave."

Kasumi mulled this overly briefly, before smiling and giving her response. "Well, so many people I know have always been convinced you'd find your way back someday, especially my Aunt. I guess I decided to believe her, because she's usually right about these things… That and your Eva's head is clearly exposed above the balkelite, and you're wearing the clothes that were left for you. Believe me, I didn't just jump to the conclusion that you were Shinji Ikari because you looked like him, I took everything into account."

"You're quite the sharp one aren't you?" Shinji smiled, impressed with how the youngster carried herself. "Um… Kasumi is your name isn't it?"

"Oh, right!" Kasumi blushed, realizing she had yet to introduce herself. "Kasumi Amelia Soryu at your service!"

"Soryu… So you are Asuka's kid?" Kasumi nodded her head proudly. "That explains a lot."

"I'm going to take that as a compliment," Kasumi said cheerfully. "The kid impersonating a talking statue here is my friend Shin Suzahara!"

Images of Shinji's old friend Toji immediately jumped to mind as his vision shifted to the boy, when something about the kid's name made his curious. "Wait… Shin?"

"Yeah," Shin started bashfully, rubbing at his arm. "It's short for Shinji… I was kind of named after you."

"Really?" Shinji beamed, flattered that his friends would honor him in such a way. "Your mother wouldn't be named Hikari by any chance, would she?"

Shin's eyes widened at first, but then he remembered that Shinji and his parents had been friends as teenagers so it was not strange that Shinji knew his mother's name. "Yeah…"

"Figures… You remind me a lot of her…" Shinji had a feeling he knew who that kid belonged to even before Kasumi introduced him. He really was the perfect little mesh of his parents. Tall and broad like his father, yet bashful, polite and level headed like his mother. "Hey, maybe you guys could help me out? I'm trying to find a way into town, and I was wondering if there was a bus or anything with a route between here and Tokyo 3?"

"Afraid not," Kasumi answered, to Shinji's confusion. "The only way to get from here to the city is by walking. Misato Katsuragi decided that she didn't want your memorial flooded with tourists, so if people were really serious about paying their respects, they could walk there."

"Sounds like Misato," Shinji smiled through his sigh. "Guess I'm walking then."

"Hey, you can walk back with us if you want!" Kasumi offered perhaps over eagerly. "You know, it's actually my birthday today, and mom's throwing me a party! All your old friends will be there, so it's almost too perfect an opportunity don't you think?!"

"Um, I don't think that's such a good idea," Shinji said, dragging down the girls jubilant mood just a bit. "I don't want to suddenly pop up again after being presumed dead for so long. That might be too much for everyone to take in, and I wouldn't want to take away from your birthday…"

"Nonsense! What girl wouldn't want to brag about bringing a celebrity to her birthday party, especially one recently back from the dead! Come on, you can't really be suggesting that you wouldn't want to see everyone after all this time…"

"Of course I do… I'm just not sure if they're ready to see a corpse come walking through the door… I've been debating whether or not to even tell anyone I'm back, or if it's a better idea to let everyone continue thinking I'm gone and not disrupt their lives…"

The look on Kasumi's face scared Shinji, enough so that he flinched. It was a look Kasumi's mother had given him countless times when he'd say or do something that annoyed her. "What, are you stupid? Of course they'd want to see you! They'd never forgive you if they found out you were alive and never even bothered to contact anybody! You wouldn't be disrupting anything… You'd be bringing back what's been missing in their lives!"

"You… Might have point," Shinji admitted. The more he thought about it, up and leaving town without revealing to anyone he was back amongst the living, would've been another form of running away… Something he'd promised himself he'd never do again. "I'm still not sure about crashing your party though… Maybe I should wait until tomorrow or…"

"You can't crash a party I just invited you too! Please come with us! You can consider it your birthday gift to me, if that convinces you to come. I'd really, really appreciate it…"

Kasumi ramped up the cute and Shinji about melted on the spot. Shin briefly considered vomiting. Shinji Ikari felt he no longer had a choice in the matter. He just never could so no to that face… Even when it was someone else that was wearing it. "When you ask that way, it's almost like I have too… Alright, I'll go to your party Kasumi…"

The red-headed teen squealed, nearly leaving her feet. She wasted no time grabbing Shinji by the arm and dragging him along behind her, despite mild protests from the older man. "I really appreciate this! I can't wait! Mom is going to fall over dead when she sees you!"

"More likely, I'll fall over dead after she kills me…" Shinji muttered to himself, but loud enough for the two teenagers to hear. As much as he longed to see Asuka again, he dreaded the reunion almost as much as he anticipated it.

"Hold on!" Shinji's namesake protested as he tried to catch up with Kasumi and her captive. "You're telling me I have to carry these all the way back to town with me too?!" he complained, pointing to the flowers he was still holding. Kasumi completely ignored him, as she was much too busy talking the ear off of a man she grew up idolizing. All Shin could do was shake his head, and then smiled before following after them.

* * *

Back at the Soryu apartment, the preparations for the party were proceeding as planned and quite efficiently. This of course, meant that Asuka was not happy with the way things were going at all. She was pacing to all corners of the apartment, barking orders to her helpers as they simply shook their heads, as they all waited for the inevitable disaster Asuka was expecting but just never came.

"Asuka, will you calm down already!" Misato ordered her former ward and current employee, seated at a stool next to the dining room counter, her left fist propping up her chin. "The party doesn't start for another two hours, and everything is set… All you have to do now is take a deep breath and wait."

"But the cake…"

"Is in the middle of the table and ready to be cut when the time comes," Hikari sighed, totally on board with Misato.

"The decorations…"

"Have all been hung, nailed in, or whatever," Misato answered this time.

"The guests…"

"Will arrive shortly," Misato told her as she grabbed Asuka by the back of her blouse and yanked her towards the empty stool in between her and Hikari. "You know as well as we do, that not a sould would dare miss that girl's birthday."

"I… But…" Asuka looked around her, and to her utter shock, the place wasn't bursting into flames before her eyes. With a deep exhale, she sat down backwards on the stool. "I just want everything to be perfect…"

"Everything will be, even though everything doesn't have to be," Misato assured her. "Don't forget that Kasumi isn't quite the spoiled, impossible to please princess that her mother used to be at that age…"

Asuka scowled at the older women, and then at her best friend when she started giggling. "Hey now… That was just a phase that I grew out of…"

"A phase doesn't last for decades Asuka…" Misato teased. "It took giving birth for you to finally grow out of it…"

"Among other things…" Hikari added, and immediately regretted it. An uneasy silence filled the room. 'He' wasn't a subject they brought up very often since he was still such a sore sport for Asuka. Hikari couldn't even call her son by his full name while she was in earshot. To Asuka's credit, she never asked them to do that, nor treated Shin poorly because of it, but everyone could tell that hearing that name still bothered her, even now.

Misato took it upon herself to break the ice. With a sly grin she asked Asuka... "So Asuka… Is your friend Otto coming to the party tonight?"

Unexpectedly, the mood in the room soured even more. Asuka stiffened, and stood up from her stool. "No, he won't be coming…" Asuka immediately went in search of something, anything around the house that needed doing.

Misato and Hikari looked at each other, both wanting to bang their heads against the counter. "What happened this time Asuka?!"

"Was Otto too perfect for you?" Hikari added, none too lite on the sarcasm.

"I'm not going to discuss this right now…" Asuka said as she wiped the moisture off of a knife she had just cleaned in the sink. "My daughter's birthday is my only concern right…"

If Asuka was the praying type, she would've prayed for a distraction right then, and those prayers would've been answered. There was a knock at the door, and Asuka wasted no movement pouncing on the door. "Looks like the guests are starting to arrive!"

Misato and Hikari looked at each again. Hikari shrugged her shoulders and excused herself from the counter. Misato shrugged herself, and downed what was left of her beer. In the midst of this, she heard Asuka squeal, followed by a quick greeting. Misato thought nothing of the newcomer as she lost herself in her own thoughts, but the recently arrived guest forced the issue when said person sat down next to her. The smell of his aftershave gave him dead away, ironic really, considering the man never shaved.

"Oh God, she invited you…" Misato groaned, placing a hand over her head. Her long time flame, adversary, and perennial headache flashed her that smile that had always managed to keep her from killing him throughout the years.

"Why of course Katsuragi. I wouldn't dream of missing Little Red's big day."

"I suppose it's good for her that you were in town then… I'd half expect you to be too busy bumming around on some beach, or talking up some floozy in front of the fire at some mountain lodge somewhere… You know, for a retired spy, you sure have a lot of disposable income."

"What can I say? The pay was good, and the perks were even better," Kaji grinned as only he could. "There's no need to be jealous, I'd love nothing more than to take you along next time."

"Some of us have lives and responsibilities we have to attend to Ryoji… I can't just up and leave town whenever the whim hits me…"

"Hey, don't blame me for that. If you would've accepted one of my dozen or so marriage proposals, perhaps I would have some of this responsibility you speak of."

"Maybe if you ever grow up, I might say yes one day! I can't be married to someone I can't trust or depend on to be around when I need him!"

"Give me a reason to be around and I will be," he said with all seriousness. He actually caused Misato to blush faintly, which she desperately tried to hide. "Not trusting me has ever stopped you from having a couple of beers and falling into my bed every so often…"

"It doesn't happen that often! And like you said, alcohol was involved!"

"Often enough… Hell, I think we have more sex than most married couples."

"Behave yourself Kaji! Remember, there's going to be minors here, so no more sex talk!"

"Fine, fine… No need to worry. I have no intention of regaling the youngsters with tales of how easy it is to get Miss Katsuragi in bed with me…"

Misato was wishing for something to hit Kaji upside the head with when her phone rang. Already annoyed, her mood didn't get any better when she saw the call was from the office so to speak… "Why are they calling me from the Geofront?..."

"I thought you told them not to bother you today?" Asuka piped in from the hallway, a towel draped over her shoulder.

"I did… Either way, I'm going to let Tanaka or Rei handle it… I'm off today." She pushed decline, and put the phone back in her pocket…. At least she tried too, but her phone started ringing again… Still irritated, that mood softened when she saw Rei's information pop up on the caller ID. "It's Rei calling me directly…" It was odd for Rei to call her directly from her personal phone, and usually only did so during emergencies. "I better take this."

Misato stood up and moved into the sitting room, which was relatively quiet compared to the rest of the apartment. Asuka followed, leaning up against the wall, eager to hear about what was going on. "Rei? What's going on? I'm assuming this is important considering I ordered everyone to forget my number unless it's a dire emergency."

"My apologies Commander, but I did deem it necessary." Misato was already nervous. Despite the formality, there was a hitch in Rei's voice that usually wasn't there. Hell, Rei Ayanami never got worked up over anything. "I'm at Shinji's memorial… Something strange has occurred. It seems that overnight, a large portion of the balkelite melted away… Lieutenant Ibuki has a team investigating the phenomena but as of yet, they've been unable to make sense of it."

"I would think not, because what you're saying doesn't make a lick of sense! Are both of the Eva's still encased?"

"The unit known as Zeus is still safely trapped inside the balkelite." Rei looked up and the head of her brother's purple mech. "As for Unit 01 however… The head is sticking out above the balkelite. Judging by the melting patterns, it almost appears that the thawing phenomena was focused on Unit 1's cranium… And that's not the only thing…"

"Rei?" Misato asked after her Operations Officer went silent. "What is it Rei?!"

"Unit 01's entry plug was exposed from the neck… As if it had been ejected… We opened the hatch and, as expected, the plug was empty…"

Misato's eyes went wide. As much as she wanted to follow Rei to the place that the Commander knew Rei's mind was wandering, she kept a level head. "Rei, I know what you might be thinking right now… Shinji was more than likely absorbed into Unit 01, so it makes sense that we wouldn't find his body in the entry plug."

"I'm under no delusions as to the fate of my brother… I'm simply passing on to you what we've discovered."

"Thank you for that Rei, you were right to contact me. Wrap up your investigation and we'll go over our options in the morning."

"Affirmative… Oh and Commander… Please tell Kasumi that I might be late, but I do plan on attending the party this evening."

"I'll make sure she gets the message. See you then Captain." Misato ended the call, and turned to find Asuka staring her down intently. Misato gulped, but her extensive life experience helped keep her from looking like a cornered rat.

"What was that all about?" Asuka asked, frowning slightly.

"That was just Rei. You know how she is with protocol. She has to get my permission before she'll even considering giving a command she doesn't have clearance to give."

"Uh-uh, and for a lie you just pulled out of your ass, that's not a bad one. Now, how about spilling whatever it was that you two were talking about that you don't want me to know? I heard you talking about Shinji and Unit 01's entry plug… What the hell is going on over there?"

"Well um…" Misato sighed, feigning she was giving in to her former ward. "It really is nothing. Apparently some of the balkelite at Shinji's memorial has melted, and of course that led to some premature speculation about retrieving Unit 01. Rei & I were discussing 'what if' scenarios more than anything."

"Oh…" Asuka knew Misato was still lying, at least to some degree. She couldn't imagine Rei participating in conversations involving hypotheticals. She was satisfied, however, that's she'd gotten as honest a reply from the Commander as she was going to get. "Why didn't you just say that in the first place?"

"Trying not to make a big deal out of nothing, that's all." It had to be nothing… She was certain of that… Kind of.

* * *

Back at Shinji's Memorial, Rei was stirring her tightly run ship into port. "As soon as whatever project you've been working on is complete, begin packing up your equipment. I'd like to have this site cleared within the hour."

"What about Unit 01 though Captain?" One of the scientists asked. "Are we going to try to extract him or not?"

"As of this moment, no…. We can't take the risk of releasing that thing the process." Rei was referring to Zeus. She held nothing but disdain for the black Eva, and couldn't bring herself to refer to it by any proper name. That monster took her brother away from her after all. "As we now know that Pilot Ikari was not inside the entry plug, there is no rush to extract Unit 01 from the balkelite. If there are no further questions, you all have your orders. Let's try to move as quickly and efficiently as possible. I have an engagement to attend this evening."

Without so much as an explanation to the team she was in charge of, Rei Ayanami left that team to their work as she descended from the top of the Balkelite Mountain to the base. Playing off a hunch, she headed straight for Shinji's Memorial… More specifically, the lock-box they kept near the base of Shinji's tombstone. From her knees, and though she felt hesitant, she summoned the resolve to open the box and peer inside….

Several minutes later, Maya Ibuki walked up behind her team leader, armed with a status report. "Captain Ayanami, we've gather pretty much all the data we're going to be able to get from the sight. We should be packed up and ready to move out in fifteen…" Maya paused once she looked up from her notes and noticed the shocked expression on Rei's face as she held a white, elastic looking article of clothing close to her chest. Maya could've sworn she saw tears in the Captain's eyes, which made sense since tears were leaking down the side of her face. "Captain? Is something the matter?"

"The clothing we left for Shinji is gone… In its place, I found Shinji's plug suit…" Rei's moist eyes looked up at the Lieutenant, and Maya could plainly see the 01 printed on the collar of the suit. Maya's hand immediately went to her mouth.

"What does this mean?"

"One of two things… Either someone's playing a cruel horrific joke on us, and will pay for it dearly when I find out who it is… Or that Shinji is alive, and took the clothes Misato had left for him, leaving his plug suit in their place." Rei put the suit up to her face and inhaled, ignoring the strong stench of LCL. "It even smells like him…"

Rei stared off in the distance thoughtfully, and after a moment or two, whipped out her phone and started dialing. "I'm going to call the Commander back… She needs to know about this."

* * *

Toji Suzahara stared at the spread of food like a starving lion eyeing a crippled gazelle. He looked to his left, and then looked to his right. Confident the food was unguarded, and no one was watching, he pounced. Three sausages wrapped in biscuits had no idea what just hit them, and in a flash, they were gone. As Toji chewed hungrily, any further assault on the food meant for the birthday party, was subdued by a firm tug at his ear.

"Toji Suzahara! Don't eat all the food before the party even begins!"

"Relax, I only had a couple!" Toji insisted to his wife. Hikari continued to eye him with that disapproving glare of hers, so any further idea of argument with her went by the wayside.

"A couple is two, not a dozen or more Toji…. Now, will you sit down and leave the food in peace? The party will start soon enough, and then you can stuff yourself to your heart's content."

Seated directly behind the bickering couple, Misato smirked at the adorably predictable antics of the Suzahara's. Any desire she might've had to start teasing eroded away as her phone began to buzz and vibrate. As she feared, it was Rei calling her yet again. Warily, she answered. "Hello again Rei. I hope your calling to tell me that you're on your way to the party." The response Misato received was a frantic spattering of gibberish that Katsuragi couldn't translate in the least. Throughout all the years Rei had worked under her, Misato had never heard her sound more discombobulated. "Rei calm down! I don't understand a word your saying! Take a deep a breath, and repeat everything you just said but slowly this time."

Misato listened as Rei tried to recount her message while speaking like a sane person. The more Rei spoke, the wider her Commander's eyes became. "That can't be… It has to be some kind of sick joke somebody's playing on us… What do you mean it smells like him?! You're not a bloodhound Rei…" The gears in her mind churning, Misato looked around the apartment. Most of the guests had already arrived, including all of Kasumi's friends from school and the neighborhood, as well as a few NERV employees that had become a part of young Kasumi's life due to her mother's active role within the organization. The only person not yet present it would seem, was the birthday girl herself. Misato hated to do this but… "Stay where you are, I'll meet you at Shinji's Memorial in about 30 minutes. Until then, don't mention anything to anybody about what you suspect all right?"

Misato disconnected the call, and immediately began looking for Asuka. Unable to locate her, she settled for interrupting Hikari, who was speaking with a couple of Kasumi's friends from school. "Hikari, do you have any clue where Asuka's gotten off to?"

Hikari shrugged her shoulders. "She's in her room doing something or other… Hopefully calming herself down. She was beginning to stress herself because Kasumi's not back yet…"

"Damn it… Okay, I have to step out for a moment. Hopefully I'll be back in an hour or so, so let Asuka know for me alright?"

"Okay…" Hikari agreed. Though slightly curious as to why Kasumi's 'kind of' grandmother was leaving, she didn't give it much further thought.

Misato headed for the exit, but found it blocked by a mass of bodies, and accompanied by a lot of whooping and hollering all of the sudden. It didn't take long to see why, as in the middle of that mass was the guest of honor, arriving fashionably late to her own birthday party. Shin was standing just behind her wearing a strange grin that was most definitely craving shit. Misato groaned, realizing she was going to have to wait for the mob to disperse before she could leave… And now she'd have to explain to Kasumi why.

"Sorry I'm late everyone, but I have a really good reason!" Kasumi announced. "Even though it's my birthday, I actually have a surprise for all of you!"

"Don't tell us Shin got your pregnant!" one of her friends cracked.

Kasumi ignored the comment, the giggles of her friends, and the embarrassed friend hiding behind her. She was in too damn good of a mood to let anybody ruin it. "Could everyone please step aside so I can call him in here?"

Curious as to who could be so important, Kasumi did appear a tad extra full of herself than usual. The party goers dispersed, leaving a clear path from the door into the apartment. More importantly, they had unwittingly given Misato a bird's eye view of the doorway. Hikari and Toji had conveniently taken up position behind her. Kasumi ducked into the hallway and waved for someone to come towards the opened door. She led in a nervous looking young man who appeared quite sheepish as he walked into the apartment. Most of the guest, who were Kasumi's age, had no clue as to who this person was. Well, they knew of him, but to that point they had no idea what a big deal the new party guess really was. There were three guests though who recognized him immediately, and they all nearly had simultaneous heart attaches the moment they got good looks at him.

Shinji's eyes first came in contact with Misato's, and his face faltered in surprise at how much his former guardian had aged…. And how good she still looked despite her years. Misato had to look twice to make sure her eyes weren't playing tricks on her, and still she didn't trust them. This looked like Shinji Ikari for sure, but slightly older… The stare down continued another second or so, before Shinji smiled… And any doubt in Misato's mind was erased instantaneously. "Hello Misato… I'm glad to see the years have been kind to you."

Misato said nothing, though she somewhat aggressively stepped forward and placed a hand on his face, if for any reason just to make sure he was solid. "Shinji… It really is you…Isn't it…. You have stubble... Since when the hell do you have facial hair?!"

"This morning apparently," Shinji laughed, as he placed his hand atop of Misato's, smiling sadly. "Sorry about being gone for so long… Thank you for the clothes though."

"You…" Misato removed her hand from his face and wrapped him in a forceful hug, which Shinji returned in kind. A lot of the kids still weren't sure what was going on, but a few of them were crying anyway, one going as far as to comment on how what they were seeing reminded her of a movie she'd seen. Misato's voice cracked tearfully. "Rei found your plug suit you know?… You had her completely freaking out… I guess she was right…"

Shinji finally noticed Hikari and Toji had been standing right behind Misato… Older versions of his old friends, but unmistakable none the less. Hikari's face was red with tears in her eyes while Toji looked downright dumbstruck.

"Toji… Hikari…" Shinji smiled. Misato released him so he could greet the others. Shinji was a little surprised at how quickly Hikari pounced on him, but returned the embrace happily. As they parted, Toji stepped forward, his hand extended. They started to shake hands, when Toji thought better of it.

"Ah, what the hell…" Toji pulled his long lost friend into a slightly awkward hug that was considerably shorter than the previous two. "It took you long enough… But I'm glad to see you back bro."

"It's good to be back…" Shinji looked over at Hikari and smiled. "I'm assuming its Mrs. Suzahara now?"

"You know it," Toji answered for Hikari and for once she didn't mind.

"Quite a kid you two have there… He mentioned something about you naming him after me?"

"Don't look at me, it was her idea…" Toji pointed at his wife. "I didn't have a problem with it at all, of course."

"Well, it just seemed appropriate considering," Hikari blushed, feeling shy all of the sudden.

From behind Shinji another voice joined the conversation. "May instrumentality take me, I thought I was losing my mind." Shinji recognized that voice immediately. Smiling he turned to see Ryoji Kaji standing there looking almost exactly as he did all those years before. Apparently, he had never learned how to do his tie. "I should've known even a berserk Evangelion wouldn't be enough to hold you. Good show Shinji."

"I didn't do it on my own… I had a lot of help from an old friend… But that's a story for another time."

Near the front door of the apartment, Kasumi leaned back against the wall while enjoying her handiwork. Her friends were beginning to realize who Shinji actually was, and the entire group was starting to buzz. Kasumi couldn't help but notice someone rather important was missing, and her absence bothered her. "Where's Mom?... She should be out here seeing this…"

End of Chapter 21

 _-Only one more chapter to go... I just had to save the most important reunion for last!_


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Kasumi's mother was pacing in her bedroom, wondering what the hell was keeping her daughter. When the commotion erupted outside of the bedroom, she wondered if Kasumi had finally decided to grace her own birthday party with her presence. Re-energized, she opened the door expecting to see her daughter mingling among the crowd… Instead her eyes almost immediately landed on a ghost from her past that haunted both her thoughts and dreams. She flinched a couple of times to adjust her eyes, expecting the image to reshape himself into someone else entirely… Just like the dozens of other occasions where she thought she'd seen someone who favored him from afar. Of course she always knew it could never be him, but that never stopped her heart from fluttering ever so slightly before logic had ample time to remind her that this was impossible.

As if sensing her, the young man turned his head and his eyes locked with hers. Okay, so this time her heart might actually have skipped a beat of two… This guy actually did favor him a little bit, though admittedly, she was mildly nearsighted. Once she got close to this guy and under decent lighting, he'd probably wind up being blonde with a braided mountain-man beard. Well, not that extreme of course, but she was certain he would look nothing like Shinji… Then she could go back to ignoring that wishful thinking portion of her mind, that on rare occasions, she let roam free long enough to wonder what it would be like if Shinji ever did find his way back to her.

Then this guy did something so unexpected, so inherently evil, that it nearly turned Asuka's rational leaning mind upside down, and started banging it against the floor. He waved at her with a weak apologetic smile… A smile she'd seen literally hundreds of times, and then she got a good look at those eyes. You know if she lived long enough, and met enough people, she might meet someone someday that had those same eyes or smiled that way… To find someone who had both though?... That just couldn't be possible… And because of that, the world stopped spinning for a second. She hadn't recognized that the place had gone quiet, and every eyeball in the apartment was focused on her. What she did next shocked everyone. She ran back inside her room and slammed the door shut. Shinji flinched, having not expected that all.

"I'll go talk to her," Hikari offered, but Shinji stopped her by blocking her with his arm.

"I'll do it…" Shinji insisted. "You can't fault her for reacting that way. She did just see a dead guy in her apartment. Besides… It's probably better if I reintroduce myself without an audience."

"Okay," Hikari submitted rather quickly, thinking all along how romantic this all was… Or should be at least if Asuka would allow it to be. She just hoped Asuka wouldn't allow her pride, or lifelong abrasion to being hurt by people, ruin a moment that should be treated as the miracle it was.

As Shinji worked up the nerve to invade Asuka's bedroom, Misato made a quick call to give someone who deserved to hear the good news. "Rei, are you still at Shinji's memorial? No, I won't be making the trip after all… In fact, you should get over to Asuka's apartment as soon as possible. You'll never guess who just walked through the…" Misato's eyes went wide. "Okay, so you could guess, but anyway… Rei? Rei, are you still there?" Misato looked at her phone as if it had just insulted her mother. "Did she hang up on me?"

Needless to say, Rei was well on her way to the Soryu's apartment.

Inside of her bedroom, Asuka hugged herself as she tried to convince herself she wasn't going insane. There was no possible way that person she saw could've been Shinji… But on the off chance it was, there was one surefire way to test him. If that was Shinji, he would come after her. The Shinji she'd first met might never have done so, but the Shinji that had fallen in love with her certainly would. She didn't know how to feel about this, even if it was real. The very idea of it excited, terrified, confused, and angered her. Basically, if it was an emotion her mind could comprehend, she was feeling it. It was an emotional state that, it would seem, only Shinji Ikari could inflict upon her.

The man with Shinji's face didn't disappoint her, and she tensed up upon hearing her door cautiously open, though she made no attempt to turn the person away. "Asuka?..." He called to her in his voice… Damn it, that really sounded like his voice! After all this time, she remembered his voice clearly, and the sound of it sent the proverbial chill up and down her spine. She heard his footsteps inch closer, for what felt like an eternity, and she couldn't escape this feeling that something was stalking her, ready to pounce and sink its teeth into her throat. Finally, mercifully yet brutally, the footsteps stopped. He was close, so close she could feel his strained breath against the back of her neck. Perhaps if she jumped out the window she could escape…

"Sorry to drop in unannounced," he spoke, and nearly every muscle in Asuka's body froze. Shinji blushed and laughed at himself. "Damn it, listen to me… First words out of my mouth are an apology, though I guess that would be a good sign for me if that's the worst habit I have trouble breaking…"

Asuka said nothing, she couldn't. She was practically paralyzed where she stood. Shinji, of course, read her silence completely wrong. "I'm sorry… I know how weird and uncomfortable my showing up here was going to be for you. I wasn't even going to come, but your daughter can be quite persuasive…"

"Kasumi…" The sound of her daughter's name seemed to free Asuka from silence's cold grip. Her voice remained soft and feeble however. "Kasumi brought you here?"

"Yeah… After I… Woke up outside of Unit 01, she was the first person I bumped into, literally… Man, was that quite the coincidence. You can imagine what I thought when I first laid eyes on her… She looks just like you at that age… Anyway, she practically begged me to come to her party and well… Knowing who was throwing that party and who the guests would be, I gave in."

"How is it even possible that you're here?" she asked sharply, almost as if accusing Shinji of something. "You were supposed to be dead! Frozen inside the balkelite! The righteous hero Shinji Ikari, who sacrificed everything for the good of the people of Tokyo 3!"

Shinji was taken aback by the bitter sarcasm in her voice, but at the same time he couldn't blame her for it. He chose to ignore it. "Honestly, I'm not sure how I'm here… I thought I'd be stuck inside Unit 01 for eternity, so I'm extremely grateful I'm getting this second chance… Or is it the third now, I've lost count…"

Shinji's attempts at lightening the mood with humor clearly weren't working. Asuka went silent again, leaving Shinji to once again assume he had said something that upset her… Or maybe she was just upset that he was there. "Like I was trying to say Asuka, I don't plan on hanging around and making things uncomfortable for you… If you want me to go I will, but I would appreciate it if you'd at least look at me when you tell me to get lost… I've been waiting a long time to see that pretty face again."

Asuka responded again with silence, which was soon followed by a noticeable sob. "I can't… I can't turn around…"

"What?... Why not?" Shinji asked, confused.

"Because I've had this dream a hundred times before Shinji… And whenever I turn around, that's always when I wake up…"

Asuka hugged herself tighter, trying to fend off the adamant desire of her body, which wished it was Shinji's arms around her instead of her own. A man whose presence in that room, her mind was still trying to convince her was impossible. Though Shinji couldn't see her tears, just knowing she was crying tore him up inside. "Asuka… This isn't a dream… It really is me standing behind you. All you have to do is look and you'd see that…"

"That's what you always say…" Asuka countered, and then Shinji cheated. He placed a hand on her shoulder, and that simple touch seemed to spark every paralyzed muscle in her body back to life. She couldn't help herself. Her head slowly turned, and once her eyes finally met his… She didn't wake up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat. This was indeed Shinji looking down on her… The same smile, the same eyes… The same face though slightly aged. Despite his presence meaning she basically had to cast her entire sense of logic and reason down into hell, there was no doubt that this was Shinji Ikari. He had come back to her…

Still disbelieving what her eyes were seeing, she softly caressed his face. Blushing and unsure what to do, Shinji just stood there and allowed Asuka to get over the shock of seeing him again. She studied his face for what felt like hours, before Shinji finally got to see her lips move. "Idiot…" Wrapping her arms around his chest, she buried her face into it. "You stupid, stupid idiot!"

"I've never been happier to be insulted in my life," Shinji chuckled, crying himself just a bit. He wiped his eyes dry, wanting to focus on Asuka as she continued to soak the shirt Misato had left him. He allowed the emotional flood to ebb before reminding her of something important. "We'll have plenty of time to catch up later… It is your daughter's birthday, and I don't want to be a distraction…"

Asuka pulled her face off of Shinji's chest, still appearing somewhat discombobulated as she looked up at him. "Right, the party!... I have to get back to the party…" Almost instantly, Asuka snapped right back into Super Mom mode.

* * *

Once the party began to wind down, the remaining guests migrated down to the small park behind the apartment building. The few who remained were Kasumi's extended family. The birthday girl was off on the nearby walking trail playfully bickering with Shin. Misato and Kaji remained at the apartment, seated at the terrace overlooking the park, where they had a clear view of the remaining party guests. Rei had arrived at the party barely twenty minutes after Misato's phone call, breaking an uncanny number of traffic laws to pull that off. Her reaction to seeing Shinji after so many years was much like Misato's, only more subdued, or if you would, much more Rei like. She responded to the reunion with a smile and a look of clarity that would seem to suggest she knew something the others did not. Maybe she did, but it was more likely because Rei was the only member of Shinji's inner circle who refused to lose faith that Shinji would one day be returned to her. Rei hadn't stuck around very long before excusing herself from the party, under the guise that she had forgotten Kasumi's gift in her rush to confirm her suspicions about her brother. Shinji was currently hanging back and chatting, or catching up really, with Hikari and Toji. Shinji had claimed something about giving Asuka some space, though both of his friends decided, Toji verbally and Hikari casually to herself, that more likely this was Shinji taking a break from Asuka who had rarely let the young man out of her sight out of an apparent fear he'd disappear on her again.

"So you guys have three kids? I'm assuming the other two are younger than Shin?"

Hikari nodded her head. "Konoka is six and Setsuna just turned three… My sister's watching the little ones so we could attend the party."

"That's a bit of a gap between Shin and his siblings isn't it?" Shinji observed, for really no other reason but to continue the conversation. Still, having that fact pointed out caused his best friend and his wife to blush.

Hikari laughed the embarrassment off and answered truthfully. The truth didn't embarrass the typically proper girl as much as it used to. "It's true… Shin was a bit of a happy accident… Toji and I weren't even married yet when we found out he was coming. We had time to better plan things out for the other two , and took the time to mature as a couple and as parents before we had any more kids."

"Hikari Horaki got pregnant out of wedlock?" Shinji gasped in mock shock. "I'm surprised you didn't die from the shame."

Toji snorted, trying to fight back a chuckle while drawing a blush and a dirty look from his bride. Soon enough though, Hikari was giggling herself. "That's not too far from the truth actually…"

"Seriously? Because I could almost picture you standing at his doorstep holding a pregnancy test while demanding Toji take responsibility and make an honest woman out of you…"

Shinji cut the joke short at the sight of the peculiar color Hikari's cheeks were turning. Toji's face was a similar shade of red, but that was from holding his breath as he struggled not to burst out into laughter. It was a battle he ultimately lost, thus drawing the glare of death from his wife as he nearly fell to the ground laughing.

Looking sheepish, Shinji was blushing himself now. "Oh no… Don't tell me you actually did that?"

"Almost word for word," Toji cracked, wiping a tear from his eye. "I would almost call it a wedding proposal, except that it wasn't so much a question as a command."

Toji received an elbow to his gut for his transgression. Hikari composed herself, and said. "Why don't you tell him what you did next?"

Shinji watched intently as Toji's lips curved into a smirk. "It was all cool… When I heard I might have… Knocked her up…" Toji received another elbow for the improper remark. Hikari had never been fond of that expression. He ignored all of his wife's agitated grumblings, and continued with his story. "I had already bought her a ring, even before she went all shotgun on me… Wasn't like I was being forced into it or anything…"

"Damn right…" Hikari remarked and then leaned up against him. "Though, even if you had a problem with it, I would've just clubbed you over the head, and dragged you to the alter either way…"

"Reverse caveman huh? I like it…"

Shinji smiled, giving the couple a minute to converse with themselves before interrupting them by pointing out the fat ass extra-plump white elephant that had been trying to sit on Shinji's head for the past hour or so… Namely, the one person from their little group that hadn't attended the party. "Hey, so what's Kensuke been up to? I was kind of surprised he wasn't at the party, but then again, he and Asuka never were the best of friends were they?"

Shinji caught the frown that quickly flashed across Toji's lip, but disappeared just as quickly. "He's probably off on some job for whatever magazine he's working for these days, probably taking pictures of butterflies, or some crappy building that's falling apart…"

"Well, that didn't sound bitter at all…" Shinji meant this as a joke to lighten the mood, but upon seeing Toji's expression remain rather embittered, he became legitimately concerned. "Is everything alright there… Between you two I mean?"

"It's nothing that needs to be discussed right now," Hikari politely answered for Toji. She felt that the last Shinji needed to hear was for Toji to go off on one of his tangents. "Kensuke's doing very well for himself though."

"You don't have to do that…" Toji said distantly. "Shinji deserves to know… I gotta go take a dump anyway."

"Again, you don't need to share all your bathroom details sweetie," Hikari admonished her husband. Toji shrugged his shoulders as he walked back towards the apartment. When he was safely out of earshot, Shinji looked over at Hikari with one eyebrow cocked. Hikari sighed, and submitted. It was better that Shinji know so he wouldn't accidentally pick at old wounds. "Toji and Kensuke had a falling out a few years back… When Kensuke went to college, like a lot of college kids, he got into some stuff he shouldn't have… Toji tried to be a good friend and help him get cleaned up, but it got to a point where Toji finally had to give Kensuke an ultimatum… It was either the drugs or him, and Kensuke chose the needle… They didn't speak for years after that… To Kensuke's credit, he got cleaned up and tried to reconcile, and I guess in a way they did but… You know Toji as well as anyone… How important things like loyalty and trust are to him… He felt like Kensuke turned his back on him, and he was just never able to get passed that…"

"I see… Thanks for telling me... I'll make sure not to bring him up again…"

"Thank you…" Hikari's eyes caught a glimpse of a certain red-head seated in the grass on the other side of the trail, a watchful eye directed towards her daughter and Hikari's own son. "You know, I think you've given Asuka enough time to 'absorb you're return'. The party's all but over, so there aren't any more excuses for you guys not to talk."

Shinji peered over in Asuka's direction, and hesitated. The younger version of himself would've hid behind Toji and Hikari until the sunrise, or at least until they left, and then he'd have to find someone else to hide behind. This version of Shinji though, had a little more sense than that. "Alright… Please tell Toji I'm sorry… I didn't mean to piss all over his night…"

"Oh he'll be fine. He knows there's no way you could've known. Now go on! Don't keep your lady waiting…"

"She's not my lady anymore I'm afraid," Shinji sighed sadly. "Nothing wrong with trying to get back in her good graces though, I suppose…"

Kasumi was certainly becoming more blatant around Shin in public settings, was what Asuka had decided. The girl was naturally gifted at hiding any stray feelings she might've had for the boy that might appear anything stronger than purely platonic. Those closest to her could see past the veil of course, but to the naked eye of a complete stranger, it was hard to tell they were anything more than friends. Not anymore though… Whether Kasumi was doing so consciously or not, as time went by, she seemed to care less and less whether or not her affection towards the boy showed. It almost forced a smile onto Asuka's face as she watched her daughter playfully bicker with her oldest friend. Poor Shin probably didn't even realize the bickering wasn't real, but her mother could tell that Kasumi was trying to goad him in any way she could. It was a scene quite reminiscent to how Asuka herself used to interact with a certain young man back in her youth. Kasumi wasn't as anger prone as her mother, nor was her playful bantering near as hurtful as some of the things Asuka used to say to Shinji… Shin wasn't anywhere near as damaged or thin-skinned as his namesake either, and he'd also inherited his mother's low-tolerance for non-sense and foolishness. Those traits all combined to make an interesting, and often times amusing, dynamic between the teenagers.

"So, what's the story with those two?" Shinji asked from behind Asuka, startling her slightly. He'd get away with making her jump this one time though, for Asuka was just thankful he was there. "They don't act like a couple, but there's definitely a vibe you can sense between them."

"Oh, they're a couple," Asuka smirked as Shinji sat down next to her. "Whether they know it yet or not… She's just too proud to make the first move, and he's too dense to realize she's waiting for him to. Sound familiar?"

"Vaguely," Shinji smirked knowingly.

"Only minus all the emotional baggage… The age difference holds them back a little bit too…"

"Age difference? I thought they were the same age…"

Asuka shook her head. "Kasumi's about a year older… Shin is physically and emotionally mature for his age though, so it's really hard to notice, even for myself and Hikari sometimes… It doesn't surprise me that you'd think they were the same age."

"I never would've guessed… Well, I suppose if they hold on, in a couple of years that age difference won't matter so much…"

"It doesn't really matter to them now. I honestly don't even think Kasumi considers it. They've been attached at the hip as long as they've known each other. I'm not sure one would know what to do without the other."

"That's nice to have… Someone you can get along with like that isn't easy to find in this life, let alone to find it so young… I hope they don't take each other for granted."

"Yeah…" Asuka went quite as she reflected on her own past sadly. How often she had taken that very thing for granted, and how much time she wasted not appreciating or accepting what she had found… Now, she had him back though… She couldn't lose that again. Not this time, not ever again. That confusion she had felt when she first saw him again had long since fled.

"It's hard to believe," Shinji said to himself more than anything, smiling affectionately in the distance at Kasumi. He couldn't help it, knowing who her mother was after all. "You have a fifteen-year-old daughter… Just how long was I stuck inside Unit 01?..."

The question was rhetorical, yet serious at the same time. Asuka chose to answer him regardless. "Well it's early January… Still feels like summer in January, so at least you know the weather hasn't changed much…" Asuka went quiet momentarily, suddenly growing incredibly nervous. There was just no way of knowing how Shinji would react when he discovered just how long he'd been gone... "Anyway, it'll be… Sixteen years come May…"

"Sixteen years…" Shinji's eyes fluttered in surprise. That didn't sound right at all. "So I've been…"

"Is something wrong?" Asuka asked, blushing faintly, and slightly annoyed though not really with him.

"No… I just though it would've been longer… You and Hikari both have teen-aged kids so…" Shinji was the one who got quiet now… Asuka watched him anxiously as he clearly tried to work out this conundrum in his head. "Today is Kasumi's fifteen birthday…"

"Right," Asuka said impatiently, glaring at Shinji expectantly.

"Which means you would've had to of gotten pregnant shortly after I got frozen…"

"Unless I was pregnant before you got frozen," Asuka tried to lead him. Shinji got quiet again and just couldn't seem to wrap his head around what Asuka was hinting at.

"Before I was…" Shinji went blank again. Asuka couldn't tell if he'd figured it out and his brain exploded, or if older wiser Shinji was still a blithering idiot. Time having done little to curve Asuka's temper with idiots, Asuka lost it.

"Damn it baka! Do I seriously have to walk you through the math?!" Shinji flinched, looking over at Asuka, puzzled by her angry outburst. Asuka calmed herself, nearly crying as she told him. "Idiot… Kasumi's your daughter…"

"My…" Shinji's brain did figuratively explode at this point. What he said next nearly caused Asuka to face-fault into the dirt. "Are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure dumb-ass! It couldn't be anybody else if you're the only person I've ever been with!"

"You never…" Shinji looked shocked, as Asuka blushed heavily and covered her mouth when she realized what she'd just admitted to. "Over fifteen years and you've never been… Intimate with anyone else?"

"Why is that so hard to believe?!" Asuka asked, and later would wonder why she felt such a need to defend herself over it. "Did you not think I was capable of staying loyal to you for all that time?"

"I wouldn't have expected or wanted you too!" Shinji responded, completely stunned. "All I wanted for you, was for you to move on and have a happy life, especially since there was no way for you to know if I'd ever come back someday… I never would've expected you to never be with anyone else after I was gone…"

Asuka blushed, and all of a sudden, found herself unable to meet his gaze. "Don't give me that kind of credit… It's not like I didn't try… I had a few boyfriends over the years but… They never progressed for one reason or another… Damn it, who am I kidding… There was only ever one reason. It was because of you…"

"Because of me?"

"Because I was still in love with you idiot… You being gone never changed that… I was so broken that it took everything I had just to open up to you, and my heart just seemed determined that it wasn't going to open up to anyone but you… I guess I subconsciously decided at some point, that if I couldn't find someone who could make me feel the way you made me feel, then I didn't want anyone…"

"Asuka…" Unsure of what else to say, Shinji could only offer a hand that he placed on her shoulder. Asuka swiftly rebuffed the offer by moving away from him.

"Don't concern yourself with me alright?... There's somebody else who needs your attention much more than I do…."

"Somebody else?… Oh right, Kasumi…" his eyes shifted back to the birthday girl, finding that she and Shin were almost clear of their line of sight. "My daughter… I wonder why she didn't tell me herself?"

"I have no clue why she didn't. All she told me earlier was that she hadn't… She's always known though. I never made her wonder who her father was, nor have I kept from her everything that you'd done for us… That's why she was at your memorial today. A few years ago, Rei took her to your memorial on her birthday and left flowers… It kind of became a tradition for them after that, until this year when she took Shin along…"

"Flowers…" Shinji recalled the bouquet Kasumi had made Shin carry for her, and this drew a laugh from him. "That's funny… They were for me."

"What was that?"

"Oh nothing important…" Shinji offered her a smile. "You mentioned that Kasumi and Rei would visit my grave on her birthday?"

The unasked question was obvious. Asuka stared at the ground as if ashamed. "Yeah… Someone had to take her, and I just could never bring myself to go… Too many painful reminders of too many painful memories… You'd think losing you would've gotten easier over time, but it never did…"

There were a lot of things Shinji wanted to do at that moment. Take her in his arms, hold her, swear he'd spend the rest of his life making up for the pain he caused her, promise he'd never leave her again… He held himself back however, as he had promised himself he would. He was aware that he couldn't just return from the dead and act like fifteen years hadn't gone by. He might not have felt any different than he did on the day he had faced off with Zeus, but time had certainly passed for Asuka and the others, and their lives had changed dramatically. He'd put Asuka through enough already… He wasn't going to put any additional stress upon her.

Shinji's eyes were practically glued to Asuka, and the pity being hurled in her direction was enough to make Asuka consider burying her head in the dirt. "Don't look at me like that, I'm not the one you should be feeling sorry for!… She's the one who really lost in all of this, like I told you before. You can worry about me later. For now, just go introduce yourself to your daughter…"

"Are you sure now is a good time?" Shinji grinned, noticing Kasumi and Shin were back in view and whatever they were discussing appeared to be rather intense. "She seems a little preoccupied right now."

"Now is the perfect time… Shin will understand, now go!"

"I don't understand…" Shin whined, as his childhood friend was really putting the screws to him. "Why are you so irritated?"

"I'm not irritated at all! Well a little bit with you, but in general, I couldn't be happier. I've had a great day, and my Dad is back… I couldn't have asked for a better birthday present then that… There's only one thing left that would make this day perfect, but seeing as your such a clueless twit, that just isn't going to happen!"

"Maybe if you told me what it is you want, maybe I could make it happen," Shin grumbled in annoyance at his friend. She'd been running him around in circles like this for most of the day, and it was really starting to frustrate him.

"Because if I have to tell you what I want, then it wouldn't mean anything when I got it!"

"Can you at least give me a hint?! I'm trying to make you happy here, and all I'm getting is grief…"

Kasumi's feet stopped moving suddenly, causing Shin to nearly collide with her. The red-head stared directly into his face, looking annoyed momentarily, before her lips curved into a mischievous grin. "You really want to know Shin? Maybe I just wanted you to kiss me."

Shin backpedaled, his cheeks as hot as lava. "Wha… You… You're kidding right?"

Kasumi's expression shifted into neutral, grunting in a manner that suggested to Shin that his response was not the one she was looking for. "Of course I'm kidding stupid… Like I'd want your clammy lips on mine… The sensation would probably make me vomit."

"Oh…" Shin looked awfully relieved for someone who had just been insulted. "Of course you are… You had me going for a second."

"I've had you going for years now Shin. You're just way too gullible and easy to predict…"

"I'm not that gullible…"

"Then why is your picture next to the word in the dictionary?"

Before Shin could launch a return salvo, the sound of his name being called had him looking behind him. He found his parents a few yards away waving to him. "Shin honey, it's time for us to be getting home!"

With his back to Kasumi, he was unable to see the girl's face as she managed to look disappointed and annoyed at the same time. "I'm coming…" Shin looked back at Kasumi expecting her to look as if she didn't care… And that's exactly what he saw. "Looks like I've gotta go… Happy Birthday again Kasumi. I'm happy for you… About your dad and all."

"Yeah, yeah…" Kasumi dismissed, trying to look disinterested and doing a good job of it. "See you later I guess…"

"See ya…" Shin took one step forward then stopped. "Um… Kasumi, there is one more thing before I go..."

"What?! Shouldn't you run along before you upset Mommy…"

Kasumi was interrupted, no assaulted actually, buy Shin's lips pressing against hers. It wasn't a quick peck either, as he let it linger long enough to place his fingertips along her jaw. Her lips afire, Kasumi closed her eyes and all but fell into him. Shin separated, and immediately took off like he was escaping the jaws of a T-Rex, towards where his parents were waiting for him without a single word or bothering to look back. The aftertaste of his lips still clinging to hers, she put her hand up to her mouth, if for any reason, just to hide the large grin forming there. "Idiot…"

"Did you predict that he was going to do that?" The voice startled the girl out of her trance, and she whirled around to see the last person most teen-aged girls wanted to catch them kissing a boy. Kasumi didn't seem to mind in this case, and the amused smile on Shinji Ikari's face was strangely comforting.

"Of course I knew, this was all part of my plan," Kasumi lied, half kidding and half trying to save face. "I always get what I want one way or another."

"I have no reason to doubt you do…" Shinji laughed. "Sorry, I wasn't trying to ease drop, but I didn't want to interrupt either…"

"It's no big deal…" Kasumi said though she thought it probably should be. Nothing could spoil her mood right now though. "Wait, Mom didn't send you out here looking for me did she?!"

"Yes, sort of, but she was right too… She was pretty insistent that there was something I needed to discuss with you, and I agree with her…"

"Oh," Kasumi looked towards the ground blushing. "She told you didn't she?..."

"That I'm your father?... Yeah, she did… She also told me that it wasn't a coincidence that we met at my memorial… Thank you by the way, the flowers were lovely." Kasumi's cheeks brightened, though she smiled through it. "I have to ask you though… Why didn't you tell me you were my daughter when we first met?"

"Other than freaking you the hell out you mean? I just felt that Mom should be the one to get to tell you about me… I mean, you were already gone when she found out she was pregnant with me, so she never got to tell you…"

Touched, Shinji's eyes widened in surprise. "That's very mature of you Kasumi… Most teenage girls wouldn't be that considerate."

"Well, I'm not most teenage girls," Kasumi countered with no hesitation or self-doubt in her voice. The smile this brought to Shinji's face was priceless.

"I know it's your birthday, and there are probably a thousand things you'd rather be doing than humoring your old man, but could you spare a few minutes to talk with me?... I'd like the chance for us to get to know each other…"

"Oh, there's probably not that much you could tell me about yourself that I don't already know," Kasumi stated proudly. "Between my Mother, my Aunts, and school I've heard your story a hundred times over."

"That's well and good for you, but I hardly know you and desperately want to change that. Heck, if you just want to talk while I listen, I'm perfectly okay with that."

"That's fine by me…I am my favorite subject after all."

Kasumi wasn't kidding either. For the next hour-and-a-half she talked her estranged father's ear off about everything going on in her life to the essential, to the inconsequential. Of course to her, anything she was involved with was of the highest importance. It didn't take Shinji long either to start adoring the fiery young girl, and it didn't hurt at all that she reminded him so much of her mother. Her eyes shined as she spoke, and Shinji finally recognized where he'd seen those eyes before... In the mirror ever time he looked into one. The one part of him she seemed to have inherited while she was otherwise her mother made over.

Their conversation had long since found its way back to the apartment and onto the living room couch. Kasumi covered everything from the girls in school she didn't like, how she was acing all of her classes and how irritating school was because she felt she was smarter than most of the teachers, and of course she had to mention how it annoyed her that just about every boy she knew went swooning over her despite how clear she made it that none of them were mature or man enough to be worthy of her. Of course Shin was the real reason why none of those other boys interested her, but she left that part out. Later in the evening, Rei returned with Kasumi's missing gift, and afterward joined in the conversation… If by joining in you mean sitting quietly and sipping tea from across the room. She didn't want to spoil this moment between the two people she adored most in this world… One, because he was Shinji, and the other because she was his child, the very reason she had latched on to her all those years ago. Even when she thought she'd lost her brother, there was always a part of him still alive in her.

Asuka watched the conversation from afar, seated at her dining table and not wanting to intrude, and quite frankly not sure what she would even say if she'd been involved. She had this far off look on her face, not uncommon for someone deep in thought, and a state easily noticeable to one's former guardian. Misato sat down beside her, a beer in her hand. "It looks kind of weird seeing those two together doesn't it?"

"Not at all," Asuka disagreed, sounding distant. "It looks like the way things should've been all along."

"You can't dwell on that though Asuka… It's not like he's some guy who walked out on you two when he found out you were pregnant. The past is in the past, and he's here now."

"My emotions are so confused… To the point I just want to scream and pray for my head to explode… As badly as I wanted to be angry and upset with him for leaving me, and then just showing up like he did… I was so happy to see him though… And frightened at the same time. Frightened that if I accepted the fact that he was back, he'd just find a way to hurt me again, or I'd discover that somehow this was all some sick joke or idyllic dream… I couldn't help myself and I hugged him, and then he put his arms around me… It just felt so good, and God I missed that feeling… I missed how being near him made me feel so at ease and wanted…" Asuka's expression stiffened with determination. "I can't let him get away from me again… I've received a second chance that I never dreamed I'd receive and I refuse to screw this up… I don't think my heart can stand losing him again… Or seeing him anywhere other than with me…"

"Well, if it makes you feel any better," Misato smiled as she placed her hand over Asuka's shoulder. "It doesn't look like he plans on going anywhere…"

Asuka managed a small grin, but her eyes went wide as she noticed something new decorating her left hand. "Is that… Are you wearing Kaji's ring?!"

The color rushed to Misato's cheeks as she pulled her hand away, having completely forgotten she was trying to hide it. Sheepishly, she kind of fessed up. "Um… Maybe…"

"The engagement ring he's been trying to give you for years, but you keep shooting him down? Does this mean you finally said yes?!"

Disarmed by the red-headed German's excitement, lying about it just would've felt cruel. She did take the opportunity to blame her new fiancée. "It wasn't fair okay! With it being Kasumi's birthday and Shinji returning to us… He knew this would be the one occasion when it would be almost impossible for me to say no, and damn it if he didn't capitalize on the opportunity…"

"It sounds romantic to me," Asuka said coyly. "Weren't you getting tired of turning him down anyway? I know you still love him, so why has it taken you so long to say yes? Does his love for vacationing in exotic places really irk you that much?"

"It's not that Asuka…" Misato admitted in a hushed voice. "What bothers me is what Mr. Kaji is really doing on his supposed vacations… Let's just say that I have my suspicions that the supposedly retired spy isn't quite so retired. Even if what he's doing now no longer involves stealing chunks of Angels or working as a triple agent, the point is that he's still not being honest with me… I just can't be married to someone like that… No matter how much not being with him bothers me…"

"Well, maybe he'll keep his promise and finally retire for good if you give him a reason too by marrying him… That was always his claim anyway… How can you be sure that he's still a government spy though?"

"Well… Keep this to yourself, but Ryoji underestimates the extent of the confidential information that I'm privy too." Misato took a long drink of her beer that comprised of the entirety of what was left in the can.

"Well, if it's all the same… Congratulations Misato."

"Don't congratulate me yet… I haven't had a chance to call off the engagement yet…"

"So… Dad…" Kasumi said for about the thirtieth time that evening. She was making a point to say it as often as possible, much to the amusement of both Shinji and Rei. "Go ahead and tell me this is none of my business if I'm over the line but… What was it like being stuck inside your Evangelion for all this time?"

That question did bother him… Not because the experience was traumatic, which it was, but because of what he now knew his incarceration had cost him. "Honestly… It felt like being locked away in prison for your brain. I had no physical body, but I was mentally aware of where I was, how I got there, and mildly aware of the passage of time. It wasn't all that bad though… The first few years, I guess it would've been years, I got a chance to speak with my Mom quite a bit… Now that I think about it, I guess that would make her your grandmother Kasumi."

"What would you two have discussed while undoubtedly having no knowledge of what was going on in the outside world?" Rei wondered, inserting herself into the conversation for the first time.

"Well, we discussed everything that has happened at NERV since she'd been gone… We also talked quite a bit about you Rei. She was very curious about her daughter…"

"Technically, I am not Yui Ikari's daughter…" Rei pointed out, feeling somewhat embarrassed. "Merely a clone of her…"

"That doesn't matter," Shinji disagreed. "Your flesh and blood came from her regardless of how you were brought into this world. More importantly, she considers you her daughter, and would've loved the chance to have met you someday…"

Rei smiled bashfully before taking a sip of her tea. "As I would've liked to have met her… I have to wonder though… What did you mean when you said that you only spoke with her for the first few years?… That would seem to suggest that you stopped conversing with her after a while."

"Yeah…" Shinji admitted sadly, as his eyes dimmed. "She admitted to me at one point that she'd been trapped inside Unit 01 for so long, that it was becoming difficult for her to separate her consciousness from the Eva's. Year after year, it became harder and harder for me to sense her, and she reached out to me less and less. I couldn't tell you how long ago it was since I didn't really have any concept of real time in there, but I would say it was about three quarters through my stay when I last spoke to her…"

"I see…" Rei put her glass up to her lips to hide her face, regretting having asked. Having to answer that question had clearly pained him.

"I'm just thankful for the time I had with her. My mother was a complete mystery to me before getting sucked into Unit 01 myself. Considering what happened to her, the time I did get to spend with her, on any level, was more than I could've ever realistically hoped for. " Shinji smiled, wanting very much to reroute the direction of this conversation and focus on the good going on in their lives. "Anyway…So Rei, I heard that you're Misato's Operations Director now?"

"I possess the Commander's former title yes," Rei responded, thankful to her brother for the change in subject. "We've had no need for combat in the time you've been gone though, so the duties the position entails are quite different. Yes though, I am essentially in charge of the Evangelion units as well as the training of the young pilots we hope are capable of operating them if necessary. Also, I'm often in charge of any field work that needs to be done, as was the case this evening when we detected the anomaly at your memorial."

"That's awesome… And you're a… Captain now, is that right?"

"That is correct… Though I've never quite understood why the rank is required to validate the job position. The job does seem to suite me however, considering my extensive experience with Unit 00."

"She's being modest you know," Kasumi added. "She's already fourth on the NERV pecking order, and Misato's been personally grooming Aunt Rei to take over as Commander for her one day." Rei's only response was to blush faintly. Kasumi leaned in and whispered into her father's ear so only he could hear what she had to say next. "Mom absolutely hates the idea. She says she would resign from her position as head of the Science Division before she'd ever work for Wonder Girl."

Shinji could only chuckle at what was a very predictable Asuka-type response to the very notion that her rival might be her boss one day. Asuka scratched at her ears as they were suddenly burning.

* * *

The party carried on late into the night and before the remaining guests knew it, it was nearing midnight. Rei and Misato had said their goodbyes, and a suddenly exhausted Kasumi decided it was time to hit the sack. This was also her subtle way of giving her parents some time alone together. Asuka emerged from the restroom and was unable to immediately locate Shinji. For a moment she panicked, but quickly calmed herself. All she did was go the bathroom. She wasn't waking up from a long dream or recovering from some ultra-convincing hallucination. She checked outside on the terrace of her third floor apartment, and sure enough, found Shinji out there seated at the bench overlooking the one patch of green that could be found smack in the middle of a concrete jungle.

"Hey…" Asuka greeted, only doing so to break the silence as she sat down next to them.

"Hey," Shinji returned, mainly because he had no clue what else to say.

And there they were, two grown adults, well Shinji's status was debatable but for all extensive purposes he was an adult, sitting there awkwardly like they were still two teenagers struggling to drum up the nerve to speak to one another for the first time… Ironically they had been teenagers the last time they had spoken with each other before today.

"I'm glad I came," Shinji broke the ice, surprising Asuka by taking the initiative. "When Kasumi first asked me to come to her party, I almost turned her down, but I'm glad I let her talk me into it."

"Why wouldn't you want to come?" Asuka asked, almost sounding offended.

"Because I had no idea what I was getting into…" Shinji sighed, having asked this question to himself several times and changing the answer every time. "I had no idea how long I'd been stuck in Unit 01… Believe me, the first thing I thought of when I got back was seeing you, Misato, Rei and the others… Believe me or not though, after a decade and a half of having my mind trapped inside a giant cyborg, I'm far less ignorant and have a lot more sense than I did before being sucked in. Once I got to thinking about the situation, especially after seeing that box you guys left me, I had no idea how barging back into your lives was going to affect everyone. I saw that one picture of you with Kasumi as a baby, and for all I knew, you could've been married with a few more kids running around. If that was the case, how would you have felt if I just knocked on your door and let myself in after being gone for fifteen years?"

Asuka remained silent very briefly as she considered her response. "Whether or not you have more sense than you did back then, I'll have to see and judge that for myself… Your point does make sense though… Still, what were you planning on doing if you had turned down Kasumi's invitation?"

"Didn't have time enough to think that through… I considered whether or not everyone would be better off carrying on thinking I was dead, so my first thought was to leave town and try to make a life for myself somewhere else… Then after thinking about that some more, I decided this would be another form of running away, and I promised myself I wouldn't do that anymore. What really prompted my decision though, was that I really wanted to see you guys again, which was probably selfish of me, but now reflecting on everything I've given up, I probably at least deserved that much…"

"You have changed…" Asuka said, looking at him almost in awe. Realizing her eyes had been lingering, she blushed and shook some sense back into her head. "Not in a bad way mind you… You look a little older, but for the most part you basically look like you did the day you were frozen…. When talking to you, there are moments I have a hard time believing it's you."

"It is me, I promise. Kaworu did say before he rescued me from my Eva that, since I was conscious the entire time I was in there, that my mind should have matured as normal even though my body might not look like it had aged much…" Shinji took a moment to admire his old flame's lovely face. "Speaking of which, the years have been really kind to you. You look like you've hardly aged at all…"

"Yeah well, it's not exactly natural…" Asuka huffed, then debated whether or not she should tell him due to the confidential status of the information. Ultimately, she decided he needed to know since the information affected him as well, and it was stupid to keep Eva-related business from him in the first place. "It turns out that one of the side-effects to prolonged exposure to LCL is that it stunts the aging process… It looks like I still have the face and body of a twenty-year-old because I do. Rei still looks young too for the same reason. Even Misato benefited some by constantly being exposed to the stuff, though not nearly as drastically as the two of us."

"Wow… Too bad we can't bottle the stuff. Could you imagine how much money someone could make if they marketed that stuff as an anti-aging cure?"

"Which is exactly way that information is highly classified, and doesn't leave this terrace. Considering the nature of LCL, and its limited supply, mass producing the substance would be impossible. Still, that wouldn't stop the wrong people from trying to get their hands on it if they found out."

"It's ironic though, don't you think? That those old farts from SEELE were trying to become Gods to fend off their own mortality when they practically had the fountain of youth at their fingertips."

Asuka snickered at the notion. It had crossed her mind before Shinji had mentioned it, but not in a while. "It wouldn't have helped them anyway… It slows down the aging process, it doesn't reverse it."

"Good point… Hey…" Shinji paused, remembering something he had wanted to ask her earlier in the evening. "That box Misato left me… Why was their only one picture of you and Kasumi inside? I didn't think anything of it at first, but now that I know she's my daughter…"

"Oh right…" Asuka was really hoping he wouldn't ask about that. "That's my fault… I didn't like the idea of Misato leaving that box for you. To me, it represented false hope, and with a young impressionable daughter who happened to be ultra-curious about her famous father, I just couldn't have it. I refused to add anything to the box because I thought that would be akin to me admitting that I thought there was a chance you might come back some day, when what I wanted to do was accept you were gone and move on with my life… Obviously I was wrong on both counts... I'm sorry…"

"Don't be, I don't blame you at all for trying to leave me in the past…"

"Putting it like that doesn't lessen the sting Shinji…" Asuka said looking annoyed, and quickly shifting back to guilty. "I've got pictures of her though, as she was growing up if you'd like to look at them later…"

"I would really like that," Shinji smiled.

The conversation stalled from there, though not because either one had nothing to say. They'd have to talk for days to run through all the questions they had for one another. There was one topic in particular though, that desperately needed to be addressed, as it was acting like an impenetrable wall masterfully separating the two. This wasn't even a wall of Asuka's construction. It just kind of showed up when Shinji did. Neither wanted to be the one to bring it up however… Neither wanted to seem too forward, act presumptuous, or risk getting hurt again…

Asuka took the only route she had the nerve to go down… Straight forward towards the heart of the matter. "Shinji… What are you going to do now that your back?"

"Hell if I know… Right now I'm busy being grateful to even be back…" Shinji gave the question some thought, and responded half-jokingly. "Everyone keeps telling me about what a celebrity I've become since I was frozen… Surely I should be able to work that to my advantage somehow… Seriously though, Misato has offered for me to stay with her for a few days until I figure out where I'm going to go from here… Fifteen years have sailed by, and technically I haven't even graduated High School…"

"So you're going to move in with Misato again like nothing has changed?" Asuka asked, sounding deceptively monotone. "That's how it's going to be then? You're going to blow through here like a tornado tossing our hearts around, only to run off and play house with Misato like you're still a kid in High School?! From the way you were talking earlier, you made it sound like you had grown up a little bit!"

"What are you even talking about?! I have to go somewhere, at least until I get things figured out… If not Misato's, then where else am I going to go?"

"You don't have to go anywhere!" Asuka's voice cracked. She no longer cared if she sounded weak or desperate. She needed this idiot to know that he wasn't doing her the favor he thought he was. "You belong here with us… With your daughter… With me…"

"Asuka…" Shinji about gave in on the spot, but managed to cling to his principles somehow. "It makes my heart do cartwheels to hear you say that, but just because you feel that way now doesn't mean you're going to feel that way a week from now! What if you realize you don't feel the way you thought you did, and I end up becoming the guy who suddenly reappeared after fifteen years just to disrupt your lives!"

"Idiot!" Asuka snarled, as she stood up. "All I'm hearing are more excuses! Just tell me the damn truth! If it's because you were a teenager the last time you were conscious in this world, and now you don't want to jump right into having the responsibility of a fifteen-year-old child, than just say so! I might not be happy about it, but I would understand it under the circumstances… Or hell, if we're just not good enough for you, then just come out and say that too!"

"I've already told you the truth," Shinji responded calmly, standing up himself and taking Asuka by the hands. When she made no attempt to pull them away despite looking ready to maul someone, he conjured up the confidence to continue. "I love you just as much as the day I was absorbed into Unit 01. My feelings haven't change in the least, which is why I'm trying to consider what's best for you and your… Our daughter…"

"And this is what I've been trying to tell you," Asuka sniffed, looking her one time lover in the eyes, her eyes slightly moist from her own tears. "My feelings for you haven't changed either… As much as I tried to convince myself I wasn't, I've been dreaming of this night ever since the day I lost you… Now that I finally have you back, I refuse to let you get away from me again… I don't know why it is, but I'm just better when I'm with you…"

Shinji, now just a couple of inches taller, looked down at her in awe as she put a hand up to his face. The emotion in her eyes was unmistakable. "I don't plan on going anywhere… All I was trying to say is that we don't need to rush…"

"Idiot," she whispered softly, caressing his face and completely drawing the young man into her eyes. "I've waited for fifteen years… I think we've both shown plenty of patience…"

Before Shinji could counter, Asuka had shoved him back down on the bench, jarring the springs of the sliding piece of furniture from the sudden impact. Shinji again had time to say nothing before Asuka was straddling his lap, claiming possession of his eyes with her own. Her expression held no smile or any other tangible emotion other than perhaps determination, yet somehow that look still managed to completely own him. Finally, he remembered how to breathe, and eventually how to speak. "Asuka, what are you doing?..."

"What I should have done the moment I laid eyes on you again…" Now angled slightly above him, she leaned her face in and softly pressed her lips to his. It was like their first real kiss all over again. Clumsy and desperate, and yet somehow so simplistically perfect. It lasted only a few seconds before Asuka pulled away so she could admire that adorable face she had missed so much. "I love you Shinji…"

Shinji's heart stopped beating for a second. About that same time, half the brain cells in his head committed mass suicide, as they exploded at once, leaving the functioning sections of his brain covered in a warm sticky goo that rendered the entire organ unusable for a second or two. That was the first time Asuka had ever uttered those words to him. Sure she'd said it in numerous other ways, but she had never expressed that feeling in its most basic form. True, they hadn't gotten much of a chance too before he was forced to separate from her, but that didn't change what hearing her say that meant to him now. There was only one way he could respond.

"I love you too… Asuka," he chocked, nearly in tears.

Asuka's brow furrowed slightly. "Is something wrong?"

"Nothing at all… I was just thinking that it was well worth waiting fifteen years to finally hear you say that…"

"Idiot…" she whispered affectionately, and then her lips were on his again. This time, the gloves were off and nothing was held back, her tongue especially. Each kiss lingered a tad longer than the last, each felt a little hungrier, and with each kiss their lips felt more like they were where they were supposed to be. It was clear to Shinji what Asuka was doing. She was reclaiming what she felt was rightfully hers… He had all too willingly given her his heart, mind, and soul… Now all that was left to do was reclaim the body. Shinji sensed this, and despite his hormones and man part's threats to put a bullet in his head if he tried to deny her, he knew he had to at least try.

"Asuka…" He sputtered while trying to catch his breath, the girl in question looking annoyed at being interrupted. "We don't have to do this… Not right away anyway…"

Asuka ignored him and started kissing him again. "Yes, we do…"

"Umm…" Asuka put her lips to Shinji's neck, a move she had little doubt would put a quick end to any further protests. "Okay…"

And so Shinji's hormones rejoiced. It was a good thing Shinji had been essentially asleep for the last fifteen years, because he wasn't going to get a lot of sleep on this night.

* * *

Lost deep in sleep's inviting grasp, Asuka awoke the next morning with a smile on her face… She couldn't quite remember the last time she'd felt so at ease during a time of the day she typically despised. What was it again that happened last night that had put her in such a good mood?... Her eyes snapped open when she remembered.

"Shinji…" She looked over at the opposite side of the bed but found it empty, and immediately had to face a horrible thought… Last night wasn't some long mind fuck of a dream was it? Already fearing the worst, she sat up only to realize that she was naked… She didn't usually sleep naked. Then she smelled something coming from the kitchen… A smell that was delicious and familiar. She quickly jumped out of bed and started getting dressed. She had to prove to herself that last night was real.

And, to what almost could constitute as a shock, it was. Asuka found her daughter seated at the table while… Her father worked over the stove cooking breakfast. Oh god, it was going to take a while before that sounded right. Kasumi greeted her mother with a smile, and a sleepy good morning. Asuka whispered good morning back to her on reflex, as she walked past her and into the kitchen. Sensing the lady of the house had awakened, Shinji turned to find Asuka standing right behind him wearing nothing but her bathrobe… He assumed there was nothing underneath anyway. Shinji blushed, and scratched at the back of his head as he smiled shyly. "Good morning… Hope you don't mind me fixing breakfast for you guys… It just felt like the right thing to do for some reason…."

What Shinji didn't know, was that he could've been sitting naked in the sink eating Cheetos off his belly and she wouldn't have cared… Well maybe a little, but as long as he was there… That was all that mattered. Caring about nothing else, Asuka erased what distance was left between them and wrapped her arms around his neck before burying her face into it. "Thank you…" She sobbed softly.

"For what exactly?" Shinji shook slightly as Asuka's breath teased his neck. "I doubt you'd be getting this emotional over breakfast."

"For being here… For not being a dream…"

"Uh… You're welcome." Shinji smiled as he now understood, and returned the embrace.

Shinji then shooed Asuka away so he could put the finishing touches on breakfast without burning it. Asuka was going to help set the table before realizing Kasumi had already done so, so instead she sat down next to her daughter and waited… Marveling as she watched Shinji, still struggling to believe it was really him standing there. Kasumi noticed and just couldn't resist goading her mother. "You know, you can move your eyes away now and then. He's not going to disappear because you're not staring at him… Trust me, I've had to test that theory out myself a couple of times this morning."

"Wha… Oh, right," Asuka agreed and she turned her attention to her daughter… Then caught herself immediately trying to peak at Shinji who was obviously still there. Point taken, she refocused on Kasumi. "Wait, what am I doing?! I can look at him all I want you know…"

"I know… I just figure you'd have gotten plenty of good looks at him last night…"

"What is that supposed to mean?" Asuka dreaded, knowing how her daughter's mind worked.

Sure enough, Kasumi leaned up to her mother's ear and whispered. "You're really loud… It was tough getting any sleep last night."

Asuka nearly died on the spot, face gushing red. "Kasumi!"

"What?!" she laughed. "Did you think I'd be deaf to it or something? I mean, I'm glad you were enjoying yourself and all, but I'm probably going to need therapy now…"

"That's quite enough Kasumi! It's highly inappropriate for you to be commenting on your mothers… Oh god, look what I've let you draw me into!" Kasumi was now laughing uncontrollably while Shinji looked back at them, wondering what the heck they were talking about. He'd discover later that he actually didn't want to know.

The banter between mother and daughter halted as soon as breakfast had been served, primarily because their mouths were too full to speak. Well almost anyway, as Kasumi did manage to get a couple of good cracks in, slamming her mother's cooking skills. The best of which came when she just couldn't resist mentioning how nice it was to actually eat food that didn't taste like it had recently been on fire. All joking aside though, she was quite impressed with her father's latent culinary skills, which hadn't seemed to have been affected at all by a decade and a half without being near a stove. The two-and-a-half plates of grub she had downed were a testament to that, though she just couldn't quite get through her third helping.

"I'm so full…" Kasumi moaned, as she rested her head against the table while fighting off the urge to take a nap. "Mom, you weren't kidding when you said he could cook… I always assumed you meant compared to you, which really isn't that high of a bar."

"I'm not that bad of a cook Kasumi…" her mother grumbled despite her inability to disagree with her.

"Oh please… You're the only person I know who can pop open a can of biscuits and somehow they come out burnt… Owe!" Kasumi got a face full of wood as her mother kneed the table underneath her chin. The younger Soryu frowned towards her mother, but decided she wasn't in the mood to be goaded by her. "Fine gesh… I'm just messing with ya…" Kasumi stretched as she stood up from the table. "If you guys don't mind, I'm going to get cleaned up before I head over to Shin's place."

Asuka cocked an eyebrow. "This early in the morning? Why don't we just buy you a set of bunk beds for your room, and that way the two of you would never have to separate."

Kasumi had an obvious comeback, involving only needing one bed. It was dangling off the tip of Kasumi's tongue, but she resisted. Her mother was pretty cool about taking her daughter's teasing and even messing with her right back, but Kasumi was smart enough to recognize what lines not to cross. Her father had been one of those lines since the day she was born, and without question, so was her budding sexuality. "Oh we're apart plenty, there's just something I need to talk with him about."

" _Like, how there's no way I'm going to let him get away with kissing me and then running away like that,"_ she thought, smiling to herself. Kasumi caught a glimpse of the eyes of her father as they were on her. He smiled knowingly when he realized she'd noticed his gaze. Kasumi blushed faintly, recalling how Shinji had been an accidental witness to his daughter's first kiss. Shinji said nothing, and then he stood up and started clearing dishes off the table, still wearing that same smile. He was over the sink when Kasumi passed by him. He made sure Asuka wasn't in earshot before he commented to his daughter as she passed by. "Has this relationship turned into some prolonged game of tag now? I'm guessing you're it?"

It took a moment for the young red-head to catch Shinji's meaning, drawing a smirk from her. "I guess that's one way of looking at it."

"I take it that, when you get back, there's a good chance you and your friend Shin will probably be more than friends?"

Kasumi blushed, not sure how to respond to that… Or if she even wanted to discuss those kind of issues with one of her parents. It was strange though… Even though she'd only known her father for less than a day, she found him incredibly easy to talk to. Like she could tell him anything, and so she did… In her own way of course. "I guess it depends on how much of an idiot he wants to be when I get there…"

Shinji smiled as this young woman he had helped to create once again reminded him of her mother. Shinji looked upward towards the ceiling, as if looking to a higher power to help him find the right words to say. "I really don't feel it's my place to be giving you advice just yet but… Remembering how things went down between me and your mother… Shin will come to you in time. You might have to lead him in that direction, but he'll come to you eventually… If he's anything like me, you might need neon signs and flashing arrows pointing him in the direction you want him to go, but he will come to you if leave the door open for him."

Kasumi seemed to ponder this, and a grin soon crossed her face. "That door has never really been closed, but I see your point… Thanks Dad…" Kasumi stopped herself and blushed when she realized what she'd said. Shinji looked just as shocked at hearing it, nearly breaking a plate in the process. "Sorry… It's okay with you if I call you Dad right?"

"I've never been more okay with anything in my life," Shinji chocked, tearing up just a little. Kasumi thanked him with a quick hug before scampering off to the bathroom. Shinji watched after her in awe, which did not go unnoticed by Asuka as she crept up behind him.

"I just wish I could help you understand how much you being here means to her… She grew up idolizing you, and everything she decided that you stood for. She didn't merely get her father back yesterday… She got to meet her hero too…"

"I hope I can live up to her opinion of me," he said unevenly, still a bit chocked up.

"You've made it a habit of exceeding expectations you have no business living up to…" Asuka moved in closer, enough so that she could rest her forehead on his shoulder.

"There's something I need to tell you," Shinji said warily, reluctant to ruin her mood. Asuka lifted her head and looked at him expectantly. "I made a few calls this morning before breakfast and I have an appointment this afternoon, so I was wondering if you'd like to tag along with me?"

"What kind of appointment?" she asked suspiciously, which did nothing to calm Shinji's nerves. He turned his back to her, unable to face her as he responded

"To um… Look at an apartment I'm thinking about renting…"

"Apartment?..." Asuka's brow furrowed. "Shinji, I thought we talked about this…"

"Yes, we did, but let me explain," Shinji requested, feeling quite a bit bolder, at least enough so that he could look her in the face as he told her. "I plan to be around… A lot in fact, as often as you'll have me. As much as I love the idea of moving straight in with you guys and playing house, I don't think that's the best idea… You and Kasumi have been living on your own for years, and there's no telling how adding me to the equation so suddenly is going to affect the both of you. For Kasumi's sake in particular, let's take our time, and allow me to get to know you guys… Well get to know you again…"

Asuka hated it when Shinji was right, especially when she didn't want to agree with what he was saying. "Where is this apartment you're looking at located?" Translation, how far away is it from me.

"Follow me and I'll show you," Shinji prompted Asuka to follow him outside of her apartment and into the hallway. Asuka followed, though she looked confused until Shinji stopped and pointed at apartment 47 a few doors down from her own. Asuka recognized that apartment as a unit that had been vacant for a while… In fact, the entire floor was relatively deserted. Her eyes widened in realization. "Oh…" Perhaps this wouldn't be so bad… Though the idea of Shinji being anywhere that wasn't directly by her side seemed too far away in her estimation.

"I'm not sure how often I'll be using the place but… This way, I can be around you guys without being on top of you… Until the three of us are ready for that anyway."

"How can you afford to pay the rent?" Asuka asked. She wasn't even sure why she was still trying to poke holes.

"Misato left my account open from my time as a pilot for NERV… I'm by no means broke in other words, so the rent's not going to be an issue…"

"That's good…" Asuka's mind started racing. "That you have money to spend I mean. You're going to need clothes, and of course furniture, and everyday housewares. A bed of course that'll need to be broken in… Maybe even the couch too."

Shinji blushed, wondering if she'd meant that the way it sounded. "I'm getting the impression that you plan on doing the shopping for me?"

"Well of course! Like you're going to have the slightest clue how to decorate your new apartment on your own, or how to dress yourself… You'd probably end up using milk crates for chairs and wearing Urkel suspenders with everything…"

"What the hell's an Urkel?" Shinji could only smile as he listened to the only love he'd ever known in his short life. He didn't even technically have the apartment yet, and she was already decorating it for him. This mattered little to Shinji Ikari. Every moment he could he spend with her was time he wouldn't trade for anything else in the world.

"Asuka..." he said almost in a whisper as he grabbed the girl and pulled her close to him. She was definitely caught off guard, but didn't seem to mind. She looked more curious than anything. "Thank you... For giving me another chance after everything... Our daughter having to live without me, everything I've put you through... I'm so sorry..."

"Don't... Just, don't okay," Asuka pleaded, as she hugged him tight, her forehead resting against his shoulder. "I don't want to dwell over the past, what we missed, or all the what could've and should've been's... All that matters is that you're here now, and the future we make from here on out."

"I... Think I can do that," Shinji said, feeling relieved. "I can't promise though, that I won't spend everyday trying to make it up to you..."

"You're here aren't you? That's all I've ever wanted. Now that I have you back, I'm never letting anything take you from me again. Just be the man I've always loved Shinji... If you feel like you owe me anything, that's all I'll ever need..."

"Then that's what I'll be... Every day for the rest of my life." Shinji pulled her in for a kiss that would be merely the first of many in the coming days. Life, like their love, was never meant to be easy for them, and the coming years would be far from perfect... But it was those imperfections that made them so perfect for each other. Two damaged kids that by some miracle had saved one another, even as the entire world and fate itself seemed to conspire against them. I took a while, but they found their way back to each other's arms, and that was the only place either really wanted to be.

End of Chapter 22

* * *

 _-And so my tale has come to an end. A special thank you to everyone whose supported and enjoyed this story. I was honestly surprised by the reactions I received on a number of different levels... It's an interesting case study on how individual readers interrupt and respond to the same work of fiction with drastically varying opinions. For those who might've preferred I stuck with a sad ending, my apologies but that's just not my style... I like to put my characters through hell, but ultimately find their happy ending at the end. At least those are the types of stories I've always enjoyed reading._

 _Okay, so I had written a brief epilogue for this story, but I've decided against adding it to the story. It was mostly fluff and didn't really add any depth to the overarching story, so I felt the end of this chapter was the perfect place to bring this tale to a close. That being said though, I know some of you would be interested anyway, so as a bonus, I decided to included it here after the author's note! Now, this epilogue is not cannon as far as this story is concerned, the end of this chapter is the official ending of this work of fiction. Just consider this a little taste of where this story might've gone if I decided to go any further with it. Enjoy!_

* * *

Epilogue

They say that Asuka Langley Soryu became a different person once Shinji Ikari came back into her life… No Scratch that… More like she turned back into the person she used to be, which could've been good or bad depending on whom you asked… And whose balls she happened to be busting at the time. Either way, her swagger and her confidence was back, as was her take life by the throat and I'll accomplish any damn thing I want too, attitude. The primary difference now compared to then, was that she could actually take some legitimate pride in her accomplishments and even enjoy them. It's funny how that works when you're not so preoccupied with achieving things for the soul purpose of proving to everyone else you are what you feel you should be worth. Asuka still had an ego, still enjoyed having it stroked, and was still very skilled at rubbing certain people the wrong way. This included a few of the people she worked with at NERV. She was never miss popularity in the first place, but the antics her coworkers used to put up with while Shinji was gone out of pure pity, were much harder to swallow now that there was nothing to feel sorry for her about. It took nearly forty years to get there, but Asuka's life was closer to perfect than she ever dreamed she could get… She could care less about what those community college rejects thought about her anyway. She was damn good at her job, was in good with the higher ups that mattered, and the people she truly cared about loved her for what she was. Everyone else could go burn in hell if they didn't like what she was all about.

Asuka had left work early that day so she could meet up and share lunch with a dear old friend she hadn't gotten to see much of over the past couple of years… At least not as often as she would've liked. She scanned the outdoor patio section of their favorite restaurant, and her eyes eventually settled on the image of Hikari Suzahara as she waved at Asuka to get her attention. Asuka rushed over to the table, and after a long overdue hug, Asuka took the seat across from her childhood friend. "It's good to see you Hikari… It feels like it's been forever…"

"I know, four months…" Hikari looked thoughtful as she stirred her drink with a straw. "I'm sorry, when we moved initially I really did mean it when I said the distance wasn't going to keep us from seeing each other… When you get to be my age, you don't really feel like going any place that's any farther than a couple miles down the road…"

"Oh please Hikari! You're not that old, you're only 39…"

"That's easy for you to say Asuka… I never had the luxury of bathing in that LCL goo, or whatever it is that's kept your body so young and vibrant. You haven't had to deal with crow's feet, or wrinkles, or achy joints, or a bladder that doesn't behave itself as well as it used too… Take a good look at me Asuka. This is what we people who haven't piloted Evangelions call aging. You may just get to experience it someday."

"Okay, I get the point," Asuka laughed, despite the feeling that Hikari wasn't entirely joking. "Please be careful using the 'L' word though, that information still isn't public knowledge. I still stand by my assessment though, that you're not old."

"Not old huh… One year away from forty, and to top it off, I'm going to be a grandmother in four months… Forgive me if I don't feel like a young spry little thing."

"Well, look at it this way… You'll be the youngest, hottest looking grandma in town…"

"Oh please! I won't even be the best looking grandmother in the delivery room," Hikari teased, causing a sweat-drop to form over Asuka's head. "It's still hard to believe sometimes though… My kid is having a kid… With your kid…"

"I don't find it hard to believe at all! I've seen this coming since those two were barely up to our belly buttons. I was hoping they'd be safer than us and pace themselves before they had kids, but at least they're not teenagers like we were."

"Hey, it was bound to happen I guess…" Hikari grinned evilly. "Not that I discuss this type of subject with my son very often, but from what I've heard, Kasumi inherited her mother's libido."

Asuka nearly choked on her drink as she was taking a sip. She often wondered what happened to the shy freckled-face class rep that once thought someone uttering the word 'butt' in a conversation was the pinnacle of vulgarity. "Not appropriate meal conversation! And don't look at me like I'm some kind of slut either. Sure, Soryu women might like sex, and enjoy having lots of it… But we enjoy lots of sex with one guy, and there's nothing wrong with that."

"Wasn't suggesting there was," Hikari smiled, resting her hand beneath her chin. "Sorry, but I can't resist when I get the chance to poke you back for all the grief you've given me over the years about my love life, despite knowing how badly it embarrassed me."

"It was necessary," Asuka mocked like a politician trying to explain the passing of a really unpopular law. "I'd like to take some credit for eventually prying you out of that Nun outfit. I see your point though… It's bizarre to think that I'm not even forty yet and I'm going to be a grandmother… I guess that's an inherent risk you take when you have kids young ..."

"But again, you simply get to feel like an old lady without having the body of an old lady to go along it it…"

Asuka felt she should be offended by this on some level but couldn't decide why. She laughed at the remark instead, and then motioned for a change in subject. "So, how's life in Tokyo 2?"

"Same as life in Tokyo 3, only without the constant reminders that beings bent our destruction used to float up and down the streets… Seriously, it's not that bad though… Toji seems content with his job and everything, but once the first grand-baby is born, I doubt he's going to like being so far away…"

"Does that mean you might be moving back to Tokyo 3 sometime in the future?" Asuka asked hopefully. Hikari shrugged her shoulders.

"I can hope, but it really depends on Toji's job… That's what landed us there in the first place. I've been working on him, but once he holds that baby for the first time, I think that's what's finally going to convince him to move back." Hikari's nose scrounged upward as she studied Asuka, making her longtime friend wonder what the heck that look was all about. "Speaking of husbands, what's Shinji up to these days?"

Asuka grunted in annoyance, knowing full well what conversation that question was going to lead to. She hated getting into that debate with Hikari, but Asuka's pride very rarely allowed her to shy away from confrontation. She replied, if nothing else just to be defiant, though standing in defiance of what was unclear. "He's fine of course. He's married to me, so why wouldn't he be?"

"Oh, I have no doubt he's as happy as Toji at a buffet… I was just wondering if he's had any luck finding a job yet, or do you still have him cooped up at home playing housewife?"

"He has a job Hikari," Asuka nearly grunted. "He works as a special ambassador for NERV, and even has the rank of Captain. He just got home yesterday from a three day engagement in Beijing."

"That's not a job Asuka! He's a glorified show pony that your organization struts out on your PR campaigns to capitalize on his popularity!"

"And like all good show pony's he brings in a lot of dough… And why not? NERV has been trying to rebuild their image as an organization that's trying to pull the planet out of the environmental and economic hell that Second and Third impact caused. Every one subconsciously knows Shinji from undoing Third Impact, and everyone consciously celebrates him as the guy who prevented Tokyo 3 from being blown into space, and then spent fifteen years in frozen stasis only to suddenly rise up from the supposed dead. NERV would be stupid not to capitalize on that. Shinji's helped make NERV a lot of money and helped drastically with improving NERV's image with all those PR stunts as you called them…"

If Asuka sounded defensive it's because she was. While she kept this part to herself, she knew how uncomfortable Shinji was with fame and being in any kind of spotlight. Being the unofficial face of NERV was not easy for him, or something he ever desired to be, but he tolerated the role out of a sense of loyalty… Not to NERV itself but because most of the people he cared about worked for the organization, and NERV's success directly affected them. Asuka was very proud of her hubby for that, and took offense to anyone who disparaged him for it. She had no idea why Hikari had such an issue with Shinji's role with NERV. The only reasoning Asuka could figure was that Hikari's feelings derived from her 'proper Japanese girl' attitude, which would dictate that the man should be out somewhere working nine-to-five.

"Do you really think Shinji's happy doing that? He's the type of guy who never struck me as wanting to be in the lime light." Asuka flinched, surprised to hear Hikari reiterate one of the points she'd been silently pondering. "Not to mention that a lot of guys inherently have that instinct to provide for their family, rather than staying at home and acting as a live-in maid…"

"Shinji's not like that… And he makes plenty of damn money, and even if he didn't make a cent, my salary is plenty enough to support the both of us… Besides, what you're suggesting is like telling someone to quit their job as the Chief of Surgery at a hospital because the McDonald's down the street is hiring. So what if Shinji's job is mostly making public appearances and rubbing elbows with bureaucrats? He may have lots of time off, but that's a perk of the job, not a detriment. As far as your maid and housewife comments, Shinji happens to enjoy cooking and he's good at keeping the house clean. Why the hell am I going to complain about that? Shinji is perfectly happy with the way things are…"

"Oh I'm sure… And I bet none of this has anything to do at all with you being a bit of a control freak who gets an ego boost from being the family's primary provider, and also happens to enjoy coming home to a clean house and a hot meal every night?"

Asuka had no answer, and just stared blankly in response to her smug looking friend. Finally, Asuka's face settled into a frown as she put an end to the debate. "Shinji's not getting a job Hikari…?"

"Translation, Match, Set, Hikari…"

The pair's food arrived at that time, sparing Hikari from the dreaded Soryu comeback. The conversation gradually drifted from antagonizing back to pleasant as the friends enjoyed their meal. The peace was broken by the ringing of Asuka's cell phone while the pair waited for the check. She smiled when she saw the name on the caller ID. "Hey there sweetie, what are you up to?"

"Oh, I'm at the doctor… Again," Kasumi sighed, seated on the bed in her room at the hospital, her legs dangling off the side. "I was having some of those strange abdominal pains again… Gee I wonder what those were… Of course, Shin freaked out and then called dad, who freaked out, and now I'm sitting in this damn NERV hospital room again waiting for the doctor to finish explaining to the doofus outside that there's nothing wrong…"

Asuka shook her head, smiling the entire time. "They're worriers Kasumi, that's what they do… Keep in mind that neither one of them has ever had any experience with a pregnancy before, even your father…"

"I know, I know… At least I can get dad to trust my judgment most of the time, but I swear that Shin thinks I'm having a miscarriage anytime I grunt in a weird way… I just wish I could convince them that I'm just pregnant, and not crippled or terminally ill…"

"To a man, you might as well be. It's just one of the many things us women have to suffer through during a pregnancy, as if just being pregnant wasn't enough…" Asuka paused, hearing a door open and some rustling going on. A minute or so passed before she heard a voice on the other line.

"Hello?" The voice asked, though it was not Asuka's daughter.

"It's Asuka Shin. What's going on? What happened to Kasumi?"

"Oh, she's talking with the doctor… She threw the phone at me for some reason."

"Hi honey!"

"Hey mom," Shin grunted, blushing for some reason. "You two must still be at lunch… Sorry…"

Again the conversation was interrupted, this time by someone raising their voice in the background. Asuka would know the sound of her daughter's voice anywhere, especially in that angry and irritated tone.

"Yes, I know it's weird that my husband and my father have the same first name… He was named after my dad, just like thousands of other kids that year. Yes, Shinji Ikari, he's that Shinji…No, I don't get confused! I don't call my dad Shinji, I call him Dad! I swear to God, if one more person makes a comment about it, I'm going to stab them in the eye with a syringe!"

By that point, Asuka's had face planted into the table from laughing so hard. Her diner guest looked on curiously. "What's so funny? Is something going on with the kids?"

"Oh it's nothing bad… Just amused at the thought of another NERV physician having to deal with a pregnant Soryu. I still remember the hell I put them through the first time I was pregnant. By the end, I think they were more ready to see me give birth than I was to get Kasumi out of me."

"Oh, I doubt they think too badly of you… Everyone knew the circumstances you were going through…" Hikari was interrupted briefly as the waitress came around with their check, which Asuka promptly paid for in cash flustering her friend a bit. "You know, I was perfectly capable of paying my half of the bill…"

"And I was perfectly capable of paying for both of us… That' right, I bought your lunch, so get over it."

Hikari sighed, and then smiled. "We really need to get together more often…"

"Well… Keep dangling that baby above that stooge's head, and move a little closer already!"

"We'll see," Hikari responded to the red-heads playful, though also serious suggestion. "I probably should get going… I'm supposed to drop by and visit the kids before the long drive back home. What do you plan to do with the rest of your day off?"

"Well… I don't have to work and I haven't had five minutes alone with my husband for almost a week, so whatta ya think?"

"Oh please, you can't make be blush as easily as you used to."

"Yeah… Back when you used to be more fun!"

The two friends shared a lingering embrace before wishing each other goodbye and setting off on their own. It wasn't until Hikari was opening the door of her car that something Asuka had said finally smacked her right upside the head. "Wait a second… Did she say the first time she was pregnant?"

* * *

You would think after all these years, that Shinji would be passed getting those sinking foreboding feelings whenever he walked the corridors of the Geofront. The stain of past memories still clung to him though. He could still vividly recall being a fourteen-year-old kid wandering these halls, usually walking towards a monster of a machine that just happened to be the last line of defense between humanity and outright extinction. In those days, he also had lived in constant fear he might have to pass by the lumbering visage of his father, who would scarcely even bother to acknowledge his own son as he passed by him. That man had been gone twenty-five years now and he still managed to intimidate his only son. There was no denying NERV was a much friendlier place to work now. His father had never been all that skilled at employee relations, not that there was any reason for him to bother to be. He was working to protect the world from the threat from the Angels after all… Er, or at least working under the guise as he secretly plotted to turn mankind into goop.

Still, these halls were painful reminders of a childhood he was denied by a man who shunned him, and then forced him into a war that caused everyone involved nothing but pain and misery… By enduring that pain though, he had met and fell in love with Asuka, a union which led to his daughter Kasumi. Two gifts worth more than enough for him to forgive NERV for all of the hell this organization had put him through… Worth so much actually, that he even felted indebted to them, enough so at least that he allowed Misato to use him as a glorified mascot for NERV. It was a job he hated to be sure, but it was hard to complain considering what they paid him and the other perks that came along with the position. Most people were forced to hate their job for forty hours every week, while he only had to hate his for a handful of days out the month. He wasn't expecting to get any sympathy from anyone else in this regard, which was smart since he received none.

Shinji's stroll through the Geofront didn't go unnoticed by NERV's recently appointed Sub-Commander. She couldn't allow him to just pass by her looking so distracted without a formal inquiry. She'd grown quite protective of her brother over the years. "Does something trouble you Captain Soryu?"

Shinji barely even reacted to Rei's sudden appearance at his side. He'd long grown accustomed to her Ninja like stealth, so he was no longer caught by surprise by her sudden appearances. "Nah, just thinking…"

"You're skills at deception are still quite insufficient. Does your mood have something to do with my niece? I heard that she paid another visit to the medical ward this afternoon."

"Yeah… I'm afraid I had a hand in that…" Shinji silently cursed himself as he played with his hair in pure agitation. "She'd never say it to my face, but I think Kasumi's getting annoyed with me. Am I overdoing it with the overprotective dad routine? Not that I'm doing so intentionally mind you, but I worry over everything…"

"You are perhaps a bit overprotective…" responded Shinji's half-sister as they continued their walk. "But you are a good father Shinji, please refrain from doubting that. I also have a difficult time picturing Kasumi angry with you. She's always adored you."

"She adored this golden image you, Asuka, and Misato painted of me while I was stuck inside Unit 01… An image I could never dream of living up too!... I still feel guilty over missing so much of her life… Fifteen years… That's a longer period of time than there was between when my dad abandoned me to the time he brought me here to pilot Unit 01…. Sometimes I feel like I'm no better than him because of that…"

Rei frowned at this, something she rarely did. Hell, any kind of emotional display by the First Child was practically front page on the NERV gossip circuits. "There are many distinct differences between you and your father Shinji… You did not abandon Kasumi, you weren't even aware she existed until you returned to us from your time trapped inside Unit 01."

"I put myself in that position though, knowing the consequences… If I only knew Asuka was… Any way you look at it, it's my decisions that left Kasumi without her farther for most of her childhood… In that respect, it's hard for me to see any difference between me and my father…"

"There is a world of difference." Rei stopped walking, prompting Shinji to do the same. She wanted to look him directly in the eyes as she said this to him. "Listen to me Shinji… You are not your father, nor do you resemble him in anyway. When you married the Second Child, you even took her surname to distance yourself from him."

Rei had a good point… What she said was mostly true, though Shinji had other reasons for taking Asuka's name. Mainly, he just wanted to have the same name as his daughter. He did feel a slight twinge of guilt at the decision to change his name, though only because it originally belonged to his mother. He never knew his mother in life though, so he had always associated the Ikari name with his father, which left an untreatable stigma on the name. To a minor extent, he even looked at the name change as one final 'fuck you' directed towards Gendo. It was kind of ironic really… In the end, the son really had only one thing in common his father, and that was choosing his wife's name over his own. "I'm trying really hard not to be…"

"And you're succeeding… You've made the most out of the time you have gotten with Kasumi and that's what truly matters."

Shinji paused, not sure how to respond. She was right or course, but something always felt like it was missing. Seeing that her words hadn't produced quite the effect she had hope, Rei tried a different tactic. "If it will ease your mind, whatever debt you still feel you owe to your daughter, I have little doubt you'll compensate for by doting on your new grandchild."

Rei finally got a flinch out of Shinji… And then a smile. For someone who still struggled to understand even basic human emotions, Rei had always been oddly in tune as to how to play on his. "Thank you Commander…

"You're welcome Captain… Now, it's time for you take leave as I'm positive you haven't been assigned any further duties to perform today. Go home and get some rest, and try to ease your stress over your daughter's pregnancy and your own parenting skills. I have no wish to see you in this building for the remainder of the day."

"Understood Rei," Shinji saluted his sister, before he parted ways so to comply with her orders. Rei held a small smile as she watched her brother walk away. Rei still wasn't good at understanding emotions, especially her own, but she understand one important thing. Just how much she loved that man. There was no question in her mind about that.

* * *

Shinji arrived home to an empty apartment, a depressingly familiar experience ever since Kasumi had moved out about a year ago. He wandered over to the couch in the sitting room and plopped down, and immediately began massaging his head. Damn, he felt tired, and he had no idea why. He was too damn young to be getting tired for no reason. He was only… How the hell old was he anyway? He wasn't sure whether or not he should count the years he'd been stuck inside his Eva. If he omitted those years, he'd technically only be 24… Wasn't that something else? He was going to be a 24 year old Grandfather… That had to be some kind of record without a doubt.

It turned out that Shinji wasn't quite as alone inside the apartment as he initially believed. He discovered this as a pair of slender arms wrapped around his neck just before a warm pair of lips pressed against his cheek. "Hmm… Not right now, my wife might walk through the door at any moment."

"Shut up idiot," Asuka teased, as she gave the back of his head a shove. She circled around the couch to sit down beside him.

"Have you been here this entire time? I could've sworn I was alone when I got home."

Asuka shrugged her shoulders. "My lunch date with Hikari finished early, so I came home and took a quick nap while I waited for your butt to get home…" Shinji could feel his wife scrutinizing him with her eyes. "Why do you look so worn down? Does this have anything to do with Kasumi or the grand-baby?"

"No, no… Well, maybe a little… I've just been debating whether I need to back off a little or not… Kasumi has to be getting tired of me acting all paranoid every time she grunts…"

"You're a parent and your child is expecting… It's only natural for you to be paranoid. Trust me, when I think about my baby having a baby, it's hard not to get overwhelmed."

"I know, but I was overdoing things even before we knew she was pregnant… I know it's not my fault and she doesn't blame me for it, but I can't help but feel like I cheated Kasumi somehow by being stuck inside Unit 01 as long as I was…"

"I know Shinji-hon, I've only been hearing you whine about that for years now…" Asuka sighed as she cuddled up with her couch mate, resting her head on his shoulder. "You seem to forget that you were cheated too… You never got to see your daughter grow up… Oh well, what's done is done… We'll just have to make sure to get it right with the next one…"

"The next one?" Shinji's brow twitched. "You talking about Kasumi's kid, or are we planning on having another one someday?"

"Well, I'm afraid we might have to skip the planning stages." Asuka pulled something out of her pocket. Smiling she gave him a glimpse of the stick shaped test sporting two pink lines. Her grin only broadened as Shinji's eyes grew wide.

"You… You're pregnant! Oh, oh wow…" Shinji embraced his wife as she chuckled at his stunned stammering. He pulled away, still in shock. "Oh god… This kid is going to be younger than his new niece or nephew!"

"I had that thought too… But in the end, does it really matter?"

"Maybe a little…" Shinji got a concerned look on his face. "Aren't pregnancies a lot more difficult at your age though?"

"Well… As you raised that question out of concern and clearly weren't thinking when you asked it, I'm going to ignore the fact that you basically called me an old hag…" Asuka scowled, finding quite a bit of joy at seeing her husband squirm at his poorly chosen words. "My numeric age has no bearing on this pregnancy however… Thanks to LCL contamination I'm still physically in my twenties, remember?"

"Right, right…" Shinji paused again, looking reflective, drawing another frown from his newly pregnant wife.

"What's wrong now? You're still not bugging out about the age thing are you?"

"No… Well kind of… I was just thinking about the LCL issue… How we age, or that we don't age I guess I should say. Does that mean that we're doomed to outlive our own kids?"

Now Shinji had his wife thinking. With a grunt, she turned her body around and slammed her back against the couch. "Damn it, leave it to you to bring that up… I honestly don't know. We've studied the properties of LCL for years, and we still haven't the slightest clue why that crap affected the aging process like it did nor why it only affected the pilots that way and not everyone who handled it. Unfortunately, the only way we're going to learn anything is by research, and there are only three people on Earth with our condition. We are the guinea pigs, and only by studying how our bodies age over time, are we going to get any answers… At the very least we know we do age, albeit at an extremely decelerated rate. Until we can finally age enough that we can compare a normal rate of aging to our own, there's no telling how long we can live… Or if whatever the LCL did to us will stop working one day, and our bodies just suddenly fall apart… Who knows, but there's no point in stressing about it. Do you know how many people would literally kill not to get old? All we can do is enjoy the time we have with our kids, and our grandchildren and let the rest sort itself out…"

"You're right…" Shinji agreed after some reflection. "I came too close to losing everything not to take the time to enjoy the life I have now." Shinji smiled over at his wife, who returned the expression in kind. "Is it as weird for you as it is for me?"

"What? You mean having a kid that's going to be younger than our first grand-kid?"

"No… Well, yeah that's weird as hell, but not what I was referring too." Shinji snickered then continued with his thought. "Since I came back from all those years I spent inside of Unit 1, never in my life have I been happier. All these years later, and I'm still not used to it. Sometimes, I sit around waiting for fate to remember how much he hates me, and debate whether or not I should find cover before he starts hurling fireballs down at me."

"We have been through a lot…" Memories came flooding back to her. Her mother's death, years of emptiness she tried to fill with Eva, and most recently, all those years without Shinji and raising her daughter by herself. "With everthing we've sacrificed, I think we deserve a little happiness don't you?"

"I'm not sure there's any sacrifice I could've made that would've helped me deserve you… But as long as you'll have me, I'm damn sure not giving you back."

"Idiot…" she whispered, cheeks slightly flushed. He touched his finger to her chin as he leaned down to touch his lips softly to hers. As she sighed contently into his mouth, all his fears and doubts evaporate under the warmth of her kiss. Upon seeing the loving look on her face as they parted he just couldn't help but ask one last thing of her…

"The baby is mine right?"

"Shut up, you ass…"

 _The End._


End file.
